The world of NCAA wrestling is hot at the moment, with big shifts happening and everyone who isn’t Cael Sanderson hoping to help their teams to the top next season, ousting Penn State from their comfortable position as #1. Let’s be honest, the shifts started to get real when David Taylor was assigned head coach of the Oklahoma State Cowboys and took it upon himself to single-handedly start putting together a master roster to really shake up Sanderson, starting with formidable wrestlers but also extending into his coaching team, to which he appointed Northern Iowa’s Lee Roper earlier this year.
That’s right, Roper, who started off as a volunteer coach in Northern Iowa in 2015 and just completed his 8th year as a full-time coach for the college, was roped into joining the Cowboys this past April and if there was any doubt about how serious he was, that’s all been cleared up by his wife, Rebecca Roper, a wrestler and wrestling enthusiast herself, who shared some big news on her X page.
Besides a picture of the happy couple holding up their ‘Just Closed’ banner in their new home, Lee Roper wrote, “We did it — officially Okies! Closed on our new home in Stillwater today!” The couple look pleased with the move, with Rebecca even donning some OSU Cowboys merch, a T-shirt and cap! And it’s a final goodbye to Northern Iowa, Rebecca clarifies, adding towards the end of the tweet, “Headed back to Iowa one last time to grab a final load—and then it’s folding chairs and takeout until the rest gets here.” So, if Northern Iowa had any hope of Roper maybe changing his mind at the last minute, it looks like that’s going out the window with those takeout containers the Ropers are going to be piling up in the next few days!
We did it — officially Okies! Closed on our new home in Stillwater today!
Huge thank you to Bill & Jamie at The Bank N.A. – Stillwater for making the financing process so smooth, and to Julie Anne Bahl with RE/MAX for being the MVP of house hunting and helping us land the… pic.twitter.com/1ET48SinRe
— Rebecca Roper (@Rebecca_Roper_) July 15, 2025
But what does this mean for Northern Iowa? And for Oklahoma? And for Penn State?
How Lee Roper’s appointment in Oklahoma State can change the terrain of College Wrestling
Cael Sanderson and the Nittany Lions are, as we all know, on top of the NCAA wrestling ladder at the moment. But, we can’t ignore the fact that David Taylor has some beef to address here and has been meaning to overthrow his former coach’s team ever since he was appointed head coach of the Cowboys.
Aside from hiring French wrestler Zoheir El Ouarraqe to the OSU Cowboys coaching staff, Lee Roper also attracted a number of former Nittany Lions! Both Gary Steen (125/133) and Alex Facundo (157/165/174), who didn’t have starting roles with the Lions, have transferred to Oklahoma State, where they’ll seek expanded opportunities all around.
Sure, 8 full years at Northern Iowa, currently #2 in the rankings, is bound to give Roper some inside information that may serve the Cowboys well as they aim to journey up the NCAA ladder. Further, Taylor seems to have figured out how to sweet-talk opponents into coming over to the Oklahoma side, better opportunities? more money? He isn’t yet giving out houses, though; as per Rebecca Roper’s Instagram post, it seems that was all D.I.Y., and the Ropers had to get the help of Bank N.A. and RE/MAX for financing and house hunting. Well, for the next recruit, in case Taylor wants to up his game, maybe he should be taking notes!
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