Coach Taylor's Pokes

[BruceyB]

After tonight's dominating win over VT it looks like the Coach Taylor message is having an impact. In the past have we seen OSU come out in a dual like this and look sluggish, tired, and guys looking complacent to just get out of the building with a win. From 125-285 every single guy went out and wrestled hard. Guys were pushing for majors and techs with short time in the third period rather than being satisfied with their lead. Even Amine scored a takedown in the third and was pushing for another in short time. It looks like an OSU team that is wrestling with a different mindset than they have years. Ok St fans must be excited. If they get used to wrestling with this kind of mindset, they will be some very tough outs come march.

[Mr. PeanutButter]

It was an eggciting dual for sure but let's give DT at least a season to try and work his magicke before drawing big conclusions. I like what I'm seeing so far but there have been plenty of Okie teams in recent years that came out looking like they were cooking with peanut oil only end up burnt to a crisp and tasting like donkey $#!t by March 

[Hammerlock3]

He's a little obnoxious and my buddy aaron says the lord hates his guts, but as far as wrestling goes he remains the magic man. 

[ionel]

15 minutes ago, Mr. PeanutButter said:

It was an eggciting dual for sure but let's give DT at least a season to try and work his magicke before drawing big conclusions. I like what I'm seeing so far but there have been plenty of Okie teams in recent years that came out looking like they were cooking with peanut oil only end up burnt to a crisp and tasting like donkey $#!t by March 

You've written butter.  

[BruceyB]

34 minutes ago, Mr. PeanutButter said:

It was an eggciting dual for sure but let's give DT at least a season to try and work his magicke before drawing big conclusions. I like what I'm seeing so far but there have been plenty of Okie teams in recent years that came out looking like they were cooking with peanut oil only end up burnt to a crisp and tasting like donkey $#!t by March 

I could absolutely be wrong, but I have been a fan of Ok St for a long time, and John Smith is one of my favorite wrestlers and guys to listen to talk about wrestling of all time. But I haven't seen this kind of a pace and pursuit of scores across the roster in the last ten+ years. They have had better teams, but even then they didn't pursue scores the way the guys seemed to tonight. That could be because it's a fresh room with a new coach, and that could be a temporary bump (we see bad NFL teams surge under interim coaches due to culture change). But the fun of fandom is speculation, and I don't think you could have hoped for a better first month and a half as an Okie St fan.

[Mr. PeanutButter]

58 minutes ago, ionel said:

You've written butter.  

I know, friend. Blame it on the whiskey you gave Randolph. He shared some with me. 

[boconnell]

1 hour ago, Mr. PeanutButter said:

It was an eggciting dual for sure but let's give DT at least a season to try and work his magicke before drawing big conclusions. I like what I'm seeing so far but there have been plenty of Okie teams in recent years that came out looking like they were cooking with peanut oil only end up burnt to a crisp and tasting like donkey $#!t by March 

I think I'll draw big conclusions now.  I don't get why everyone should wait until after the fact to draw conclusions.  We aren't a bunch of analysts going over past data.  We are message board fans commenting on what's happening right now.  This would be a really boring place if we all just waited until after the season to have any conclusions.

[Pinnacle]

Pokes are wrestling great. Energy looked fantastic.

[Sheerstress]

From 149 on up, he's got a very solid lineup of mostly accomplished seniors that have definitely been energized by the energy he brings as a new coach with a decorated career.

The honeymoon will end starting next year, when most of his top wrestlers graduate, and that will probably be his first real test as OSU coach.

[D3 for LU]

6 hours ago, Mr. PeanutButter said:

It was an eggciting dual for sure but let's give DT at least a season to try and work his magicke before drawing big conclusions. I like what I'm seeing so far but there have been plenty of Okie teams in recent years that came out looking like they were cooking with peanut oil only end up burnt to a crisp and tasting like donkey $#!t by March 

Eggsactly!

D3

[1032004]

2 hours ago, Sheerstress said:

From 149 on up, he's got a very solid lineup of mostly accomplished seniors that have definitely been energized by the energy he brings as a new coach with a decorated career.

The honeymoon will end starting next year, when most of his top wrestlers graduate, and that will probably be his first real test as OSU coach.

He’s been flipping recruits like crazy and will get more + more transfers.  Might be the betting favorite for Forrest and Bassett currently.

[Pinnacle]

2 hours ago, Sheerstress said:

From 149 on up, he's got a very solid lineup of mostly accomplished seniors that have definitely been energized by the energy he brings as a new coach with a decorated career.

The honeymoon will end starting next year, when most of his top wrestlers graduate, and that will probably be his first real test as OSU coach.

 

He and his NIL group have the money, so he will probably be up to the test.

DT has the Sanderson mentality to keep up the pace and go for bonus. That is how you score team points.

I am now liking them to finish 2nd. 

 

[nhs67]

5 hours ago, Sheerstress said:

From 149 on up, he's got a very solid lineup of mostly accomplished seniors that have definitely been energized by the energy he brings as a new coach with a decorated career.

The honeymoon will end starting next year, when most of his top wrestlers graduate, and that will probably be his first real test as OSU coach.

Fish, Amine, Hamiti, and Hendrickson are all Grad Transfers.

What makes you think they won't get a good haul in Grad Transfers next season as well?

[nhs67]

2025-26 looks fire already without the transfers in.  Not challenging Penn State, quite yet, but still fire.  I expect many folks who have aspirations on the senior level to transfer.

I also think that we'll see one or two of the current Penn State gents transfer over, too.  I just don't see how the GOAT State College MFS guy has ZERO people follow him.  Year 1?  Okay.  Year 2?  I think it happens.

Imagine Trumble at 285 (aspirations at 97 KG), Serrano at 133 (OSU was in his final school list) or even Nagao (Penn State) at 133 and how about Facundo at 165?

[1032004]

5 minutes ago, nhs67 said:

2025-26 looks fire already without the transfers in.  Not challenging Penn State, quite yet, but still fire.  I expect many folks who have aspirations on the senior level to transfer.

I also think that we'll see one or two of the current Penn State gents transfer over, too.  I just don't see how the GOAT State College MFS guy has ZERO people follow him.  Year 1?  Okay.  Year 2?  I think it happens.

Imagine Trumble at 285 (aspirations at 97 KG), Serrano at 133 (OSU was in his final school list) or even Nagao (Penn State) at 133 and how about Facundo at 165?

Sealey should probably be his biggest target from PSU IMO

[ionel]

9 hours ago, Mr. PeanutButter said:

I know, friend. Blame it on the whiskey you gave Randolph. He shared some with me. 

dirty rascals!  

[Wrestleknownothing]

1 hour ago, nhs67 said:

2025-26 looks fire already without the transfers in.  Not challenging Penn State, quite yet, but still fire.  I expect many folks who have aspirations on the senior level to transfer.

I also think that we'll see one or two of the current Penn State gents transfer over, too.  I just don't see how the GOAT State College MFS guy has ZERO people follow him.  Year 1?  Okay.  Year 2?  I think it happens.

Imagine Trumble at 285 (aspirations at 97 KG), Serrano at 133 (OSU was in his final school list) or even Nagao (Penn State) at 133 and how about Facundo at 165?

Given the logjam at a bunch of weights at PSU it sure seems likely. And if, as we suspect, the argument is that the PSU room prepares you for wrestling beyond college, then OSU has begun addressing that too.

[Sheerstress]

2 hours ago, nhs67 said:

Fish, Amine, Hamiti, and Hendrickson are all Grad Transfers.

What makes you think they won't get a good haul in Grad Transfers next season as well?

Sure, he very well might get more transfers the way lineups shift and change over time. 

But I'm pretty sure all the above grad transfers were headed to OSU before Taylor was announced as coach, so he kind of lucked out and started his coaching career with a lineup full of proven veterans.  Any new transfers he gets this next year will be ones that he landed himself, and on his watch.

[nhs67]

4 minutes ago, Sheerstress said:

Sure, he very well might get more transfers the way lineups shift and change over time. 

But I'm pretty sure all the above grad transfers were headed to OSU before Taylor was announced as coach, so he kind of lucked out and started his coaching career with a lineup full of proven veterans.  Any new transfers he gets this next year will be ones that he landed himself, and on his watch.

Hendrickson went to OSO because of Taylor.  He was considering it, but Taylor's first call to an athlete was to Hendrickson.  I forget which of the other three (Fish/Amine/Hamiti) but one of them cited Taylor as well.  So half were going there already - the other half weren't.

[nhs67]

1 hour ago, 1032004 said:

Sealey should probably be his biggest target from PSU IMO

I hadn't thought of him.  He, to me, hasn't progressed near as much as the others around his weight/age.  Locket not only passed him, but he passed him by a LOT.

I would be for Sealey at 165 for them next year, but if Facundo were to go, he will have the spot.

[1032004]

3 minutes ago, nhs67 said:

I hadn't thought of him.  He, to me, hasn't progressed near as much as the others around his weight/age.  Locket not only passed him, but he passed him by a LOT.

I would be for Sealey at 165 for them next year, but if Facundo were to go, he will have the spot.

How many matches has Sealey even wrestled recently?

[Gus]

5 minutes ago, nhs67 said:

I hadn't thought of him.  He, to me, hasn't progressed near as much as the others around his weight/age.  Locket not only passed him, but he passed him by a LOT.

I would be for Sealey at 165 for them next year, but if Facundo were to go, he will have the spot.

Kind of a weird trajectory for Sealy. I wonder why he has not wrestled at all this year?

[RandolphTJones]

If some of these pieces fall in to place mentioned above, OSU could absolutely challenge Carl's team next year. 

[alex1fly]

I can tell a difference. Guys are out there trying to win every exchange whether its a TD or a handfight or whatever. We lost that fire for a while but I'm glad to see it back again. Lots of different techniques going on too, this year so far everybody in the lineup has surprised me at some point. It's definitely been fun to tune in. 

12 hours ago, BruceyB said:

I could absolutely be wrong, but I have been a fan of Ok St for a long time, and John Smith is one of my favorite wrestlers and guys to listen to talk about wrestling of all time. But I haven't seen this kind of a pace and pursuit of scores across the roster in the last ten+ years. They have had better teams, but even then they didn't pursue scores the way the guys seemed to tonight. That could be because it's a fresh room with a new coach, and that could be a temporary bump (we see bad NFL teams surge under interim coaches due to culture change). But the fun of fandom is speculation, and I don't think you could have hoped for a better first month and a half as an Okie St fan.

 

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

1 hour ago, nhs67 said:

Hendrickson went to OSO because of Taylor.  He was considering it, but Taylor's first call to an athlete was to Hendrickson.  I forget which of the other three (Fish/Amine/Hamiti) but one of them cited Taylor as well.  So half were going there already - the other half weren't.

Taylor sealed the deal for Wyatt. 

Hamiti was going to OSU anyway; the rumor was that he flew directly to Stillwater from NCAAs.