Why Oklahoma State wrestler Konner Doucet has been 'a nice surprise' at heavyweight

STILLWATER — Konner Doucet stayed patient, waited his turn and prepared for his opportunity with the Oklahoma State wrestling team.

Still, when that moment came, no one really knew what to expect from the Comanche native, who was a dominant high school wrestler at 220 pounds, but had seen only limited action as a Cowboy heavyweight.

“I don’t think any of us were sitting here thinking he’d be 13-3,” OSU coach John Smith said of Doucet’s strong start to the season. “It’s been a nice surprise. He’s done a nice job of finding ways to win. I’d like to see some things differently, because I do believe he’s really athletic and he’s got potential to do a little bit more.

“He’s pressed us a little bit to look for a little more, because we see his abilities and we see what he’s done.”

A redshirt sophomore, Doucet has risen to No. 24 in the national rankings at heavyweight, but faces quite a challenge this weekend. The 10th-ranked Cowboys travel north for a pair of duals, facing No. 15 Northern Iowa at 7 p.m. Saturday and No. 4 Iowa State at 2 p.m. Sunday, the latter to be broadcast on ESPN+.

For Doucet, he’ll match up with Northern Iowa’s Tyrell Gordon, the No. 13 heavyweight in the country, and Iowa State’s Sam Schuyler, ranked 10th.

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Doucet has won eight straight matches, including his 3-1 decision over West Virginia’s No. 26 Michael Wolfgram last Sunday. He’s 3-2 against ranked opponents this season.

Doucet had a 172-7 high school record, winning four state titles. He went 50-0 as a senior at 220 pounds, then redshirted in the 2020-21 season at OSU as he made the move up to heavyweight.

“Just like a lot of kids who are good in high school think, you’re like, I’m gonna come in and I’m gonna kick everybody’s ass,” Doucet said. “It’s a tough pill to swallow when you figure out it’s a little harder than that. It took some adjusting.”

Last year, he was behind teammate and roommate Luke Surber, who had moved up from 197 pounds to heavyweight and earned a runner-up finish at the Big 12 Championships.

But Smith dismissed A.J. Ferrari as a result of legal troubles last summer, and Surber began the move back down to 197. That opened the door for Doucet after two seasons that tested his patience at times.

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“It was good. A lot of growing. Some frustration, feeling like I could start and I could be out there, but at the same time, I wasn't,” Doucet said. “I was trying to get better every single day, look at the positives. It’s easy when you’re not wrestling to relax and start going with the flow, and that’s when you really see people fall off.

“I tried to stay motivated and get better every single day, take advantage of training.”

Doucet knows the challenge ahead this weekend and beyond as he tries to help the Cowboys climb back up the national rankings.

And he believes the trials of the previous two years have prepared him for the spot he’s in now.

“It gave me a better perspective on things,” Doucet said. “The big thing is not to get too high, not to get too low.

“That really helped me get ready for this year.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State wrestling: Konner Doucet has been 'a nice surprise'