Live On Flo This Week: 1/13-14: Eastern States, 5 Counties, | 1/15: Iowa at Oklahoma State, SDSU at Air Force, Oregon State at Wyoming

Oklahoma State has developed a reputation for not only landing high-profile recruits but also maximizing their potential. In the past few years, the Cowboys have seen outstanding production from Alex Dieringer, Jordan Oliver and Dean Heil -- all of whom were blue-chip prospects and have excelled in Oklahoma State's room. This fall, the nation's No. 1-ranked recruit at 132 pounds, Daton Fix, announced he will be heading to Stillwater, OK, as well.

What maybe gets lost in the shuffle is the depth and development that No. 1 Oklahoma State cultivates among its under-the-radar wrestlers. This is especially true for Cowboys senior Nolan Boyd, who faces third-ranked Iowa's Sammy Brooks in a potential dual-swinging matchup at 184 pounds on Sunday at OSU's Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Watch No. 1 Oklahoma State take on No. 3 Iowa at 2 PM CT on Sunday, Jan. 15, LIVE on FloWrestling

While the returning All-American and current No. 4 wrestler at 184 was a three-time state champion from Oklahoma, Boyd didn't register as a blip on the recruiting radar and was nowhere to be found in the national rankings.  

So imagine everyone's surprise when Boyd emerged as Oklahoma State's 184 starter as a freshman, beating out highly touted recruits and Fargo champions Jordan Rogers and Kyle Crutchmer for the spot. 

In year one, Boyd went 0-2 at NCAAs, losing to a pair of All-Americans in Kurtis Julson and Kevin Steinhaus. However, earlier in the season he made waves by taking down All-American Blake Stauffer along with Matt McCutcheon, Jon Fausey and Lelund Weatherspoon.

In year two, he saw incremental improvement and earned more elite wins. He knocked off Sammy Brooks, Taylor Meeks, Matt McCutcheon and Lelund Weatherspoon while going 1-2 at NCAAs.  

It was Boyd's junior year when the Cowboy put it all together. He had multiple elite wins, including handing Gabe Dean his only loss of the season. Boyd would go on to place fourth at the NCAA tournament, knocking off Willie Miklus, Nate Brown, Blake Stauffer and Mat Miller -- all of whom were NCAA All-Americans.  


This Sunday, Boyd takes on a familiar foe in the fifth-ranked Brooks. The two split a pair of previous matches but haven't faced each other in two seasons, when neither had achieved All-American status yet. In a dual riddled with toss-ups, many have identified this bout as one that could decide the overall winner.

Sammy Brooks vs. Nolan Boyd Match 1
Sammy Brooks vs. Nolan Boyd Match 2

Boyd, along with teammates Austin Schafer (No. 9 at 285) and Preston Weigel (No. 4 at 197), represent a key portion of Oklahoma State's lineup, despite entering the college ranks with minimal recruiting hype. Though Boyd and Schafer were unranked coming out of high school, and Weigel ranked eighth, they've approached the pinnacle of NCAA wrestling at Oklahoma State, a trend I wouldn't expect to change anytime soon.

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