Oklahoma hires Roger Kish as new Sooners wrestling head coach

The Oklahoma Sooners wrestling head coaching search came to its conclusion with the hire of North Dakota State’s Roger Kish.

The school announced the move Monday evening after spending 12 seasons at North Dakota State, going 48-20 over the last five seasons with the Bison. Overall, Kish went 108-70 in dual meets since 2011-12.

Kish commented on the move which was in the works recently this offseason.

“I’m incredibly humbled and honored to be joining this tradition-rich program, as Oklahoma has been such a big brand in our sport,”  Kish said, who takes over an OU program that won seven national championships. “I’m really excited for the opportunity and grateful to Joe Castiglione, (sport administrator) Jason Leonard and the rest of the OU administration for their diligence during the hiring process. We got to know each other very well in a short amount of time and I can’t wait to get started.

“In terms of my expectations, I think right now it’s about getting to Norman, getting a really good gauge of where the program is currently and then working up a game plan of how we want to grow and build it. We’re going to come in and probably do things a little bit differently, and I think that’s going to be a great start to changing the way our student-athletes view the work they’re putting in. Hopefully that can be a positive change and we’ll start moving forward. I think there’s a lot of great talent already there and I’m excited to meet and start building relationships with all the terrific people associated with OU Wrestling, the entire athletics program and the community in general. My family and I are thrilled for the opportunity to join the Sooner family.”

Kish coached 21 NCAA qualifiers over the last four seasons at North Dakota State. Out of the 21 qualifiers, those wrestlers earned nine All-American honors.

This past season, Jared Franek (157 pounds) took fourth place at the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships and won the Big 12 title. Redshirt- Freshman Michael Caliendo (165 pounds) took 7th place at NCAAs.

Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione released a statement on the move.

“Coach Kish brings with him a wealth of experience and leadership, as well as a mentality for championship-caliber competition,” Castiglione said. “Roger knows what it takes to build a championship program, and he’s done just that at North Dakota State, with many of his wrestlers having won conference titles and earning All-American honors. His coaching philosophy aligns with our approach at Oklahoma, and I know he’ll guide our wrestling program toward achieving the standards we’ve set for ourselves.

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“Outside of coaching, Roger has deep experience engaging with key stakeholders in the wrestling community, which has contributed greatly to his success. From the recruiting trail to championship matches, Roger demonstrates a sincere intentionality in the development of his wrestlers, and I know our student-athletes and our program will benefit immensely from his direction. We can’t wait to welcome him, his wife Jessalyn, and their children, Huxley and Emry to the Sooner family.”