Progrums

Annual Wrestling Ambush: Taylor’s Invitation to Penn State

Oklahoma State’s new head coach David Taylor made headlines by publicly reserving a yearly slot for a wrestling dual with Penn State. At his summer media availability in Stillwater, Taylor said he’s “saving one date on my schedule every single year” for Cael Sanderson’s team—wherever and whenever Penn State chooses. The move adds fuel to a rivalry refreshed in 2024 after Taylor left Penn State’s wrestling club to helm the Cowboys, who have since finished third and second at the NCAA Championships. Penn State holds 14 titles behind Oklahoma State’s record 34, and the Nittany Lions recently set an NCAA scoring record en route to their fifth straight crown. While a dual hasn’t happened since Penn State’s upset win in 2017, Taylor insists the clash would benefit college wrestling—and he’ll be ready whenever Penn State says “go.”

It’s not every day your boss casually announces he’s penciled you into next year’s calendar before you’ve even RSVP’d to this year’s barbecue. Taylor’s annual “Save the Date” for Penn State is the sporting equivalent of sending a wedding invite to your ex—eternally. One can almost hear the sound of ghosted replies echoing across the mat: “Wish we could, but we’re washing our singlets that day.” Meanwhile, college wrestling fans are left clutching their popcorn, wondering if this will be the year the old rivals actually show up. After all, if inviting your toughest opponent once a year was enough to guarantee a match, we’d have the Super Bowl every January, the NBA Finals in July and a world series at Taco Bell drive-thrus. Here’s hoping someone remembers to hit “Accept.”