Asked about retirement, Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith thinks he will return

TULSA — After his wrestlers were eliminated from the NCAA Championships on Saturday at the BOK Center, Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith said he will be patient in determining his future when asked if he expected to return for a 32nd season as OSU’s coach.

“I take it a day at a time, a year at a time,” the 57-year-old Smith said. “I think I’ll be back. Don’t know that for sure. They may can my ass, I don’t know. Just gotta go through the process. After a season, you really evaluate a lot every year. After my 15th season, I was thinking about retiring. For some reason, I didn’t.”

The Cowboys are coming off their worst NCAA Championship finish under Smith, tying for 18th on Saturday. The coach has led OSU to a 476-72-6 dual record and five NCAA titles over 31 seasons, the last title coming in 2006.

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The past couple of years have been rough on Smith. He has admittedly not been a fan of the transfer portal. His program faced a difficult situation last summer when Smith dismissed former NCAA champion A.J. Ferrari after an event occurred that resulted in Ferrari being charged with sexual battery.

However, the Cowboys are set to bring in a highly rated recruiting class in the coming offseason and Smith’s intensity has not waned.

“It takes some off time to re-evaluate everything,” Smith said. “You just had a tournament you know wasn’t good. You hope for more. You say things and you do things based on that. I plan on being back.”

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith talks about his OSU future