Sanderson nabs nations top recruit

For years now, Penn State wrestling fans have groused about the country's best programs cherrypicking elite talent from the Keystone State.

Now that Cael Sanderson is in charge, the reverse is happening.

The latest Sanderson recruiting coup came on Tuesday when David Taylor confirmed to Blue White Illustrated in an exclusive interview that he is the latest blue-chip recruit to commit to Penn State.

Taylor had originally committed to Iowa State, but when Sanderson decided to leave his alma mater and take the Penn State job, Taylor asked for and was granted a release from his National Letter of Intent by new Iowa State coach Kevin Jackson.

"At first, when he first made his decision to go to Penn State, I was all for it, I was ready to come. But after I started to think about it for awhile, I knew I had four visits left and I had only made one, to Iowa State. I wanted to take the chance to make sure it was the right place for me," said Taylor, who spoke by phone while driving with his grandmother, mother and sister from his home in St. Paris, Ohio, to State College.

So, suddenly open to recruiting again, Taylor said he visited Ohio State and Oklahoma State.

"All three of them are really good programs. It wasn't an easy decision; it was tough. I had to sit down and think it through with my family," he said. "In the end, Penn State was the best place for me."

A four-time Ohio state champion, Taylor compiled a 180-2 record at Graham High School. He was named the 2009 Ohio State Wrestling Tournament's Outstanding Wrestler and was named the Ohio Wrestler of the Year in each of the past two seasons.

Taylor is also a two-time Asics First Team All-American and won the Walsh Ironman tournament an unprecedented four times. He has also won three Cadet and two Junior National titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. He was a member of the 2007 FILA Junior World team, as well.

And, to cap his high school career, Taylor was the recipient of the Dave Schultz National High School Excellence Award as presented by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

"David Taylor is the kind of athlete any coach would be proud to work with," Sanderson said in a news release. "We are welcoming an outstanding young man to our program that is as committed to academic excellence and his community as he is to succeeding on the mat. He is an impressive person and I am confident that our fans will enjoy watching David's career unfold."

Taylor said several factors conspired to make Penn State the best choice for him. Among the biggest was Sanderson.

"I'm not going to lie, it played a big part, in addition to the coaching staff, which is really good. The academics are also really good. It was the whole situation all around," he said.

Also, it didn't hurt that Sanderson has already received commitments from Andrew and Dylan Alton from Central Mountain High School in Mill Hall, Pa. The Altons, who will be part of the Class of 2010, are ranked No. 1 in the country at 140 and 145 pounds, respectively. Taylor ended his senior season ranked No. 1 at 135 pounds.

"That helps. Penn State is beginning something that could be great. We could have a great future team. We want to bring the tradition and national championships home to State College," Taylor said.

"It helps to have teammates who have the same frame of mind. I want to be an Olympic gold medalist and to have training partners with the same frame of mind definitely helps."

Taylor said two other factors helped shape his decision — Penn State's unparalleled Lorenzo Wrestling Complex and Matt Dernlan, Sunderland's lead assistant who has been retained by Sanderson as Director of Wrestling Operations.

"Penn State's wrestling facilities are the most impressive. The wrestling facilities are awesome. I don't think that was the most important. Wrestling facilities don't make national champions. It takes a lot of hard work. It helps to have the alumni support and all of the other support behind Penn State wrestling. You don't read about it in the newspaper, but it helps," he said.

"Before I chose Iowa State, I was looking at Penn State mainly because of coach Dernlan. We had a pretty good relationship. I thought it was awesome when I heard coach Sanderson was keeping him on staff. Coach Sanderson is a great guy and he's surrounded himself with really good people."

Nittany Lion fans will have to temper their excitement over Taylor's commitment a bit. He said the plan right now is to redshirt his first season.

"The biggest thing for me is maturing. I was a 112-pounder a year ago. I'm going to be wrestling at 145 in three weeks. Everyone recruited me for 157 or 165," he said.

"A redshirt year is important for getting stronger and adjusting to the college lifestlye."

Part of that lifestyle will be academics, something Taylor seems well suited to handle. A 4.0 student, he graduated in the Top 10 of his class and plans to major in business. The Alton twins, too, said business was their planned course of study.

So, taken in total, Taylor said Penn State was a perfect fit from athletic to academic to social.

"What I really liked about Penn State is the campus is pretty big, but in five minutes, you can be off campus and relax from the crazy lifestyle," he said.

"I grew up on a farm. We have six horses. It's been a big part of my life and (the area around University Park) should make for an easier adjustment.

The dorms are right across from the wrestling facility. Penn State just felt like home. It was the most comfortable place."