Nick Lee reveals initial reaction to David Taylor accepting Oklahoma State wrestling job

Nick Lee, who went from the competition mat to the Penn State coaching staff, watched Nittany Lion legend David Taylor leave for Oklahoma State.

Lee’s competition career isn’t over, but he’ll now be an assistant coach at Penn State after Taylor took Jimmy Kennedy and Thomas Gilman with him to Stillwater. It was a move that definitely shook up the college wrestling landscape.

But Lee wasn’t fazed, nor did he even see it coming.

“I’m embarrassed, I barely pay attention to what’s going on in the wrestling world, like who’s taking what job and so I was just like, I had no idea what was going on,” Lee said on the Baschamania Podcast. “We’re in Turkey getting Zain (Retherford) ready, so it’s like, you know, we’re only half paying attention and we’re a couple hours behind and so it’s just kind of weird. So I think there were probably some murmurs (about David leaving) obviously whenever the job opened up.

“You know, they’re looking for a Penn State guy, right? That’s who you want to go hire right now, is Penn State wrestlers and I think it’ll be that way for a long time.”

Lee, a two-time NCAA champion for Penn State, won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.

Nick Lee wasn’t fazed by David Taylor leaving for Oklahoma State

Taylor left Penn State and the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club to become OKST’s new head coach. The two-time national champion and Olympic Gold Medalist embraced the opportunity despite coming out of left field as a candidate.

When talking to the team about the transition from legend John Smith to him, he 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.”