OSU wrestling staffers elevated to new roles

STILLWATER — Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith announced Tuesday the promotion of Tyler Caldwell and Gary Wayne Harding to the roles of assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, respectively.

Entering his seventh season on the staff, Caldwell spent the prior six seasons as the program’s recruiting coordinator. Under Caldwell, the Cowboys consistently signed classes ranked in the top five nationally, including the top-ranked class of 2023 that was highlighted by No. 1 pound-for-pound wrestler Christian Carroll.

Caldwell also guided the Cowboys to the top class in 2020, consisting of the No. 1 overall recruit and No. 2 pound-for-pound wrestler in the nation.

As a collegiate wrestler, Caldwell transferred to Stillwater ahead of the 2012-13 campaign after competing at the University of Oklahoma as a freshman and sophomore. Earning All-America honors in all four years of his career, Caldwell was a two-time NCAA finalist and finished his career with a 126-29 record, including a mark of 63-9 while at OSU.

Following his graduation from OSU in 2014, Caldwell served as a volunteer assistant coach at West Virginia during the 2015-16 season.

Harding assumes Caldwell’s former position after spending his first year on the OSU staff as a volunteer assistant coach.

Harding wrestled at OSU from 2014-18, qualifying for the NCAA Championships twice. He then transferred to North Carolina as a senior and appeared at the NCAA Championships for the third time in five years.

After the conclusion of his collegiate career, Harding joined the Tar Heel staff and served as an assistant coach for three seasons. While at UNC, Harding helped the program to its best NCAA finish in 26 years with a 16th-place finish in 2021 and coached five All-Americans, four ACC Champions and the 2021 NCAA Champion at 149 pounds, Austin O’Connor.