The Open Mat’s 2021-2022 Oklahoma State Wrestling Projected Lineup Preview

Pictured: A sold out Gallagher-Iba Arena on the campus of Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, in 2017 for a wrestling dual with Penn State. Image courtesy of the Pistols Firing Blog (@pistolsguys). 

Beat the Streets NYC communications coordinator Brandon Cain (@brandonmcain) contributed to this story. 

News broke earlier this week regarding the firing of Andrew Howe (Associate Head Coach) and Jimmy Kennedy (Assistant Coach) for not getting the COVID-19 vaccine by October 1, per university requirements. 

 Without Kennedy on staff, standout Class of 2021 recruit, Carter Young, a three-time OSSAA state champion with a 124-5 overall high school record, decided to transfer home to Stillwater to wrestle for John Smith and the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Most recently, Young also stormed to a third-place finish at 61-kg at the Senior World Team Trials in Lincoln, Nebraska, earlier this month to earn a spot on the Senior World Team. 

Young's transfer prompted the staff at The Open Mat to create an early starting lineup projection for the John Smith-led Cowboys heading into 2021-22.