Oklahoma State hiring David Taylor 'took a tremendous amount of stones'

Oklahoma State hiring David Taylor as the new wrestling coach was quite the move, in laymen’s terms, according to Mike Malinconico.

A longtime coach and content creator in the world of wrestling, Malinconico was astounded by Oklahoma State’s decision to opt for the Olympic Gold Medalist with zero prior college coaching experience.

But that doesn’t mean it won’t work for the Cowboys.

“I try my best to pull away from the situation right as often as I can and not allow my personal emotions to lead what I do or say,” Malinconico told On3. “That said, they shook the world. This is as monumental a hire as you can get, and it took a tremendous amount of stones by the administration of Oklahoma State to pull the trigger on this. 

“The easy hire is Coleman Scott. It’s the easy hire. You make everybody happy. He is an Olympic medalist, he did grow up a cowboy, it’s the easy hire. But not many good things have ever come from making easy decisions.”

Taylor certainly has a qualified resume as a wrestler, but not necessarily as a coach. Still, he is very much set up for success with the administration’s backing.

Sure, Jimmy Kennedy is the only one with experience on the coaching staff, coming from Penn State. Thomas Gilman, a former All-American at Iowa and Olympic Bronze Medalist also has yet to coach.

“Now, does it scare me slightly that there’s no one on that staff, save Jimmy Kennedy, that has any college coaching experience. Yeah, a little bit. It’s concerning,” Malinconico said. “I know he ran a business right (with the M2 Academy) and he ran a club and I’m, look, I was a club owner for years. It’s not the same. There are so many different factors that he doesn’t know are coming. And I truly wish him well.”

When talking to the team about the transition from legend John Smith to him, Taylor reflected on his entry to college and Cael Sanderson’s transition.

“That’s one thing when I walked in yesterday and addressed the team and talked to him, it’s a tough situation, very tough situation,” Taylor said. “I felt like I could relate to it. You know, when I was a senior in high school, I was going to Iowa State. And back then, you know, it was a little different. Cael Sanderson took a job at Penn State and I was in a kind of a weird limbo, you know? 

“I didn’t know what I was going to do. I felt like I wanted to follow him, I wasn’t sure and I had to wait for the new coach to come in, let me kind of figure out what was gonna be next … Coach Kevin Jackson got the job and he allowed me to pursue what was in my heart and I feel like that was a decision that really changed wrestling.”