Change is inevitable in all college sports today, but that’s especially true in the Cowboy wrestling room since the 2023-24 season concluded.
Oklahoma State essentially has an entirely new staff, besides Tyler Caldwell, after David Taylor replaced John Smith, who retired after leading OSU for 33 years. Despite all the staff turnover, though, the Cowboys lost only one starter from last season to the transfer portal but brought in some of the best talent the portal had to offer this offseason.
With losing guys like All-Americans Daton Fix and Izzak Olejnik because of eligibility and gaining a trio multi-time All-Americans from elsewhere, readers continue to ask me what the Cowboys’ lineup could look like next season, so here’s a peek at what we could see five months from now when the David Taylor era begins.
First, a quick look, then more details on each below.
125: Troy Spratley
133: Cael Hughes
141: Tagen Jamison
149: Jordan Williams
157: Teague Travis -or- Caleb Fish
165: Cam Amine
174: Dean Hamiti
184: Dustin Plott
197: Christian Carroll -or- Luke Surber
285: Wyatt Hendrickson
125: Troy Spratley
Spratley at 125 pounds seemed like a sure thing in this lineup even before the coaching change. He was OSU’s starter here all of last season as a redshirt freshman, falling short in the Blood Rounds at the NCAA Wrestling Championships. Spratley went 24-8, solidifying a spot in this lineup for awhile as long as he sticks around.
133: Cael Hughes
This was OSU’s first hole to fill with five-time All-American Daton Fix exhausting his eligibility. Hughes could essentially be Fix 2.0, though, solely based on precollege accomplishments. Fix and Hughes are the last two wrestlers in the state of Oklahoma to finish their high school careers undefeated with four state titles. Hughes redshirted this past season after going 140-0 at Stillwater High School. With those accolades and the fact he spent all season scrapping with Fix, Hughes should be a solid young replacement for one of Cowboy Wrestling’s most beloved sons.
141: Tagen Jamison
Another spot that already seemed to be locked up after Jamison went 21-10 last season as a redshirt freshman. Jamison struggled at the NCAA Tournament as the first Cowboy eliminated after going 0-2, but he showed enough in his first full college season to have this spot going forward.
149: Jordan Williams
Williams had to fight for this spot last season with Sammy Alvarez, but ultimately won the job and went 17-9 as a redshirt freshman. Alvarez transferred to Rider after one season in Stillwater, but that doesn’t mean Williams couldn’t be challenged again. Carter Young was a two-year starter at 141 and should be fully healthy again, looking to start for a third season either here or at 141 again.
157: Teague Travis -or- Caleb Fish
157 pounds starts an insanely deep three weights for the Cowboys. OSU was struggling mightily at 157 last season before Travis bumped up and took over. He ended up putting together a 23-8 record as a redshirt sophomore and seemed to have locked this spot going forward. However, OSU added three wrestlers from the transfer portal who competed at 165 last season. Those guys have to go somewhere, and that might be up or down. Caleb Fish transferred from Michigan State, where he was a three-year starter. Fish can technically still redshirt, but dropping to 157 might be his best chance at starting his first season in Stillwater.
165: Cam Amine
This will most likely be the first weight where we see a portal addition making an immediate impact and was also the only real unknown OSU had when the season ended with Olejnik exhausting his eligibility after an All-American finish in his lone season as a Cowboy. Of those three 165-pounders OSU added via the portal, Amine was the only one that committed after the Taylor hire and is also probably the best. Amine came from Michigan, where he competed at 165 every season and was a three-time All-American. Because of his size and accolades, Amine likely gets the job at 165, where the Cowboys are loaded no matter what happens.
174: Dean Hamiti
Like I said earlier, those other 165-pounders have to go down or up. Hamiti will likely make the jump to 174, where freshman Brayden Thompson started for OSU last season. That move would allow Thompson to redshirt before taking over again after Hamiti exhausts his final season of eligibility in Stillwater. Hamiti was a two-time All-American at 165 at Wisconsin, losing to Olejnik in the Blood Rounds last season to fall short of a third All-America finish.
184: Dustin Plott
No questions here. Plott was an NCAA finalist last season and was OSU’s only returning All-American before the portal additions. Let’s move on.
197: Christian Carroll -or- Luke Surber
Surber is the returning starter here, but a move down to 197 seems likely for Carroll, if possible, after the addition of Wyatt Hendrickson. Surber was 13-9 during a season that was hindered by injuries last year. Surber is definitely no slouch and a solid option for any team, but there’s a lot of hype surrounding Carroll, who redshirted last season despite many believing he would immediately start at heavyweight. Carroll was the top pound-for-pound recruit in the country in the 2023 class. A talent like that usually finds a way into the lineup, even if it means cutting some weight.
285: Wyatt Hendrickson
What a finale this lineup will have. Konner Doucet was an NCAA qualifier for OSU here the past two seasons and went 21-11 last year, and though that makes him a solid choice, he’s not Wyatt Hendrickson. Hendrickson was one of the best talents in the transfer portal out of Air Force. He’s placed third at heavyweight at the NCAA Wrestling Championships the last two years. Hendrickson is a two-time Big 12 champion and has led the NCAA in falls the last three years, becoming the NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler in 2021 and ’22.
If Carroll reaches his potential and the hype is real, the back half of OSU’s lineup next year could feature nothing but All-Americans by the time the season ends. The top half also includes young talent that could turn a corner and be just as dangerous.
Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog.