A historic low for Oklahoma State wrestling was followed by a summer of additions for the Cowboys. 

In the wake of an 18th-place finish at the NCAA Championships in March — the lowest in the program’s 109-year history — coach John Smith revamped his lineup with the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class and a handful of transfers who figure to make an instant impact for the Cowboys. 

Smith also added a former Oklahoma State great to the Cowboy staff, bringing North Carolina head coach Coleman Scott back to Stillwater. Scott, a 2008 NCAA champion for Oklahoma State, replaced longtime Cowboy assistant Zack Esposito, who left during the summer to become USA Wrestling’s freestyle development coach. 

Here are some key notes going into the Cowboys’ first dual of the season against Bucknell on Friday.

A New 125-pounder

Oklahoma State’s unexpected change midway through last season led to a lineup shuffle at 125 pounds. The Cowboys plugged freshman Zach Blankenship and veteran Reece Witcraft into the spot formerly occupied by Trevor Mastrogiovanni, who spent part of the season ranked inside the top 10 nationally. 

After Mastrogiovanni left the lineup, the Cowboys went 1-9 at 125 to finish the season. 

This year, Smith said there won’t be many questions about who’s the guy at 125 anymore. The Cowboys are looking for big things from Minnesota transfer Troy Spratley. 

“He’s got a lot of energy, he’s got a lot of excitement in him,” Smith said. “For me, it’s been a really good experience for the last few months, seeing that kind of spirit in a young kid that’s driven. He’s got a lot of things he needs to do to improve. But, boy, he gives himself an opportunity of doing that with his attitude, a really good attitude.” 

Spratley was projected to make an early impact for the Cowboys, and it seems he will get his shot as early as Friday. Spratley was one of the top prospects in the country regardless of weight class, for he was the #6 prospect on the 2022 Big Board.

New-Look Lineup

There are three returning All-Americans for the Cowboys: Daton Fix, Dustin Plott and Izzak Olejnik. Fix is a three-time national finalist at 133 pounds and his resume is among the nation’s best. 

Plott is a two-time All-American at 174 pounds. However, this year he will be wrestling at 184, filling the void of the departed Travis Wittlake, who transferred to Oregon State. 

Olejnik placed eighth at 165 pounds in last year’s NCAA tournament wrestling at Northern Illinois. Smith seemed elated at the addition of his new 165-pounder, but he also had a message for those unfamiliar with Olejnik: “Do your homework.” 

In addition to returning starters Fix and Plott, Konner Doucet enters his second season as the starter at heavyweight and Carter Young has bumped up to the 149-pound class. Luke Surber continues to be the guy at 197 pounds, which makes five returning starters. With 165 locked up by Olejnik, the other four weights will be a mix of transfers and freshmen.

Along with Young, Smith said Teague Travis and Jordan Williams could both get matches. 

The 285-pound elephant in the room is at heavyweight. Where does Christian Carroll, the top-ranked heavyweight in the 2023 class fit into the mix? Smith is planning to take advantage of the NCAA rule that allows true freshmen to wrestle in five duals without burning a redshirt season. 

“Will he wrestle? Yeah, he’ll wrestle,” Smith said. “Somewhere he’s gonna start a match.”

Carroll is one of a few freshmen Smith might roll out on the mat this season. Smith said it is “likely” Brayden Thompson is the guy to start out at 174 pounds. Smith also mentioned A.J. Heeg as a guy who could get matches at 174. 

Smith said Tagen Jamison, a freshman transfer from Minnesota, will start out as the Cowboys’ 141-pounder.  At 157, Smith said it will be veterans Daniel Manibog and Jalin Harper. Smith said he has liked the spirit they have shown competing for the spot. In a way, embracing the “underdog” mentality. 

Harper has wrestled in duals a handful of times during his six years between 157 and 165. Manibog has wrestled in two duals in five years, but has more than 70 matches to his name, including a sudden-victory win over his teammate, Harper in the Broncho Open this November. 

A Different Cowboy Team

With Wittlake’s transfer and the graduation of Kaden Gfeller and Wyatt Sheets, the Cowboys lost seasoned pieces who added to the team chemistry and had a lot of matches under their belt. Plott gave some hints that this team is wrestling with more cohesion. 

“Our team this year I’d say definitely has more of an edge to it than what I’ve experienced since I’ve been here,” Plott said.  A lot of the guys kind of have a chip on their shoulder. All great guys, but you can tell the attitude is different this year. Another big difference I’d say is our team chemistry has been really good this year. We’re hanging out outside the room a lot and I feel like we’re a lot closer as a group than what we have been in years past.”