The undefeated four-time NCAA champion and Olympic Gold medalist replaces his mentor and former coach Bobby Douglas, who remains close to the program in an administrative role.
The goal: deliver a national title that hasn't resided in Ames in nearly 20 years.
Sanderson agreed to a five-year contract with a base salary of $110,000 a year. The 26-year-old was overcome with emotion replacing the man who he's been so close with for so many years.
"I'm obviously very excited about the responsibility that I'm going to inherit here," said Sanderson, who had to compose himself before stepping to the podium and had stop a few moments into his comments. "I love Coach Douglas. My family loves Coach Douglas. He's going to continue to be right by my side and have my back through the remainder of my wrestling and coaching career."
Douglas attended Friday's press conference and had a statement read for him, but left immediately after it concluded without offering further comment.
Sanderson has been mentioned as a possible candidate for other jobs. A move would have been difficult, he said.
"I'm a Cyclone," Sanderson said. "I've been a Cyclone since the day my oldest brother signed a letter of intent with Iowa State and I'm looking forward to being a Cyclone the rest of my life."
Sanderson said he thinks he's ready to be a head coach.
The Wasatch, Utah, native is same age as Jim Gibbons was when he succeeded Dr. Harold Nichols following the 1985-86 season.
"I've been around wrestling my whole life and I've been around some great coaches," Sanderson said. "I've been here for eight years under Coach Douglas and I've been learning every day from him. I think I'm ready.
"Coach Douglas isn't going anywhere. We're just switching offices in the building. He's going to be there. I can't imagine him not being in the wrestling room every day. That's what he loves doing and that's what we want him to do."
Sanderson said his immediate priority is to hire the best assistant coaches he can find and build on what Douglas has built during his 14 years at Iowa State.
"I know what it's going to take to take this program where we want to go," Sanderson said. "I like the big picture. The whole picture is what excites me, the business side and getting the alumni back supporting the program, developing the Cyclone Wrestling Club to where we're a national power in international wrestling. Those are the things I'm looking forward to in addition to coaching.
"We've got to keep bringing in the best recruits and we're going to have the best coaching staff in the country. There's not a better place to wrestle."
Sanderson inherits a team that finished 13th at NCAA Championships two weeks ago, but graduates just two seniors, 133-pound Jesse Sundell and 141-pound national champion Nate Gallick.
ISU had the top-ranked recruiting class in the country in 2005 and those recruits will be competing for positions next fall after redshirting this past season. The group includes Cyler Sanderson, the youngest of the four Sanderson brothers.
"His memories of me are just picking on him all the time," Sanderson said. "He was a little guy and I thought he was a spoiled little kid and he thought I was a big bully. We've got a real good relationship now and having him back in Ames ... I just love being around him.
"I know he's going to fight and that's what we want out of our wrestlers. We want their best effort. We've got a great group of young kids in the room and we're expecting to compete for a national title next season. I know expectations are high and that's what I love about Iowa State. We expect to win. The alumni expects us to win. The wrestling world expects us to win. It's a great situation."
ISU may or may not win a national championship next season, but Sanderson promised national titles down the world.
He had unprecedented individual success at ISU, but the team never finished higher than second at the NCAA meet.
"We're going to win national championships," he said. "That is our goal. There is no other goal here. We're recruiting student-athletes who expect to be national champions and are willing to pay the price and do the work that it requires."
Sanderson said he had no interest in what happens with Iowa's coaching situation.
"It doesn't have any affect on what we're doing here," Sanderson said.
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