How Training With His World Champion Coach Made Dustin Plott Even Better

Turns out, training with one of the best wrestlers in the world on a daily basis makes you a better wrestler.

Oklahoma State’s Dustin Plott was the second-best wrestler in the country at 184 pounds last season. He was 31-4 last year, with three of those losses coming to the same guy in Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen, who beat Plott in the finals of the Big 12 and NCAA Wrestling Championships. To try to finally get past Keckeisen and become the best in the country, Plott is now training with one of the best wrestlers in the world — his new head coach, David Taylor.

“Definitely got a lot better at wrestling, obviously,” Plott said of what he’s learned from Taylor. “And then living a better lifestyle and just kind of staying focused on my goals in the room and outside the room.”

Taylor was named the Cowboys’ new coach to replace John Smith in May. Although he had never been a college coach before, Taylor was hired because of his credentials as a wrestler as a four-time world champion who won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. At the college level, he was a two-time NCAA champion and two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner. Taylor, at 33, has already accomplished everything Plott could dream of.

“I’ve been blessed throughout my career with a lot of great coaches with a lot of different backgrounds,” Plott said. “Coach Taylor is obviously a phenomenal wrestler and has a lot different background than what I’ve been coached by in the past, so I think him being as great of a wrestler he is is awesome, and then also the different perspective has been great.”

In September, Taylor competed in the United States Senior World Team Trials in the midst of his first preseason as a head coach. Plott trained with Taylor as both prepared to become the best wrestler in the nation at their respective weights. Ultimately, Taylor won the tournament at 92 kilograms to solidify his spot on the U.S. World Team and compete at the Senior World Championships, where he won bronze in his final competition before focusing on coaching full time. Plott stayed in Stillwater to prepare for his nearing season when Taylor traveled to Albania for the World Championships in late October, but Plott did make the trip to Omaha, Nebraska, with Taylor for the U.S. World Team Trials.

“I spent a lot of time with Dustin over the last couple of weeks in preparing, came with me to Omaha as my partner, and just a guy like that, he’s still approaching the sport like he’s got so much to learn,” Taylor said as he was still preparing for the World Championships. “You could take guys, a national finalist, and he could say, ‘I’m just maybe resistant to change.’

“I mean, there’s not a thing that you say to Dustin that he’s not instantly trying to implement instantly. So from a training stop and from a learning things, like if it’s a feel or example or I tell him one time, he’s doing it. And I think that’s really awesome. He’s definitely a leader on the team. And I think the team is like that, as well. I just think it’s, you have the whole lineup you start talking about individuals you leave people out, but it’s been really enjoyable to process with Dustin, and I think a lot of the team has a very similar mentality.”

Plott preparing his coach to compete for a world title didn’t only benefit Taylor, though. That was weeks of Plott getting to train one-on-one with one of the greatest wrestlers in American history while still in his prime. There seems to be only one guy out there that is better than Plott at 184 pounds right now. Once at that tier, it’s rare to be able to practice with someone in the same room that is better, or even at the same level, that can push you. But then, ahead of Plott’s final chance to be the best, David Taylor entered the Cowboys’ wrestling room, still ready to compete.

“I think there’s a lot of value,” Plott said. “For one, I was getting to wrestle Coach Taylor quite a bit, which is never a bad thing. And for me, anytime I can help someone out, I want to be in position to do that. Like I said, he’s given me so much and has continued to give me a lot, so to be in a position where I can actually give something back is really cool.

“Perspective of it, I mean, I’m helping him, but at the same time, I was getting a lot out of it. Still am getting a lot out of it. It’s not a one-way street.”