AUreo

Maybe it’s the other way around and we were already investigating and then the rumors started…

Gymnastics #6 Auburn at #8 LSU (3:00c, ESPNU) "It's a tough place to compete," head coach Jeff Graba said. "We have to be prepared to face a loud crowd and be mentally tough. LSU is obviously a very talented team that thrives at home so we just need to focus on ourselves and on what we can control." https://auburntigers.com/news/2022/2/4/gymnastics-no-6-auburn-with-tough-road-test-at-no-8-lsu-saturday.aspx

This is the most competitive Freshman class in history with all the incoming Olympians and World Champions at UCLA, Florida, Utah, Oregon State etc

Calzada is much more mobile than people realize but he is not as athletic as Bo. I am not so much concerned about the QB position. Calzada + Tank behind a veteran OL (technically we only have a new QB here, that’s it and Calzada might be a better fit in Harsin’s system)… this is still SEC level - but the WR unit worries me.

5-star Yohan Traore commits to LSU.

I second that!

“This was up there with the Olympics” "It was amazing," Lee said. "We went out there and did our best. We were hungry. We felt like we had something to prove and I feel like we did exactly that. This was up there with the Olympics. It's been really exciting and I love it. I'm having so much fun." "She had a different drive this week," Graba said. "She let it come to her and took control of her training. She came in with a fire this week, and I'm not sure I could not put her in the all-around." "This is why they came here," Graba said. "It's just fueled the atmosphere. In my opinion, there's not an atmosphere that's even close to this in college gymnastics. This is extremely helpful if you're the home team."

Yes, elite gymnasts are flocking to NCAA because of NIL. Unless your are Simone Biles (who owns the market), there is no reason to turn pro anymore. This is the most talented freshman class in NCAA history (probably across all sports). Olympic gold medalists (Suni, Jade Carey), many other Olympians (Grace, A.Morgan, Jordan Chiles, ...), World Champions (Morgan Hurd, L.Wong), and other top elites (A.Finnegan, Kara Eaker, etc), etc signed with SEC and PAC12 schools. It might be tougher to win the "Freshman of the Year" award then the AAI this year. Suni: She will probably take the 2024 season off and train for the Olympics (maybe she will be back for the 2025 season). I am not sure she would have to take a break for Worlds. She can train for Worlds between April and October and still be enrolled at AU. 2024 season: Even without Suni, we should be still pretty competitive (and I think Suni competing and possibly medaling in Paris would do more for Auburn then competing in NCAA): 2022/2023 freshman Olivia Greaves is a 5-star/Team USA gymnast (I doubt she will try-out for the Olympics but let's see), 2023/24 Fr. Lyden Saltness is another 4-star elite from the Graba/Graba pipeline and 2023/24 Fr. Julianne Huff is a highly ranked 4-star (borderline 5-star) gymnast + we will still have current freshman sensation Sophia Groth on the roster who was a highly ranked 4-star gymnast.

This is amazing:

Yes, I noticed this. I am still very impressed with Groth!

Superb performance tonight!

3. Greaves will join us next year, then Lyden + we also landed Julianne Huff (another 4star)! We also have a general Gymnastics thread for recruiting news, program updates etc:

Apparently, the whole UCLA situation is a huge mess now (and can’t be ignored any longer). Some UCLA Gymnasts even publicly demanding that their HC should be fired. Gymnast Alexis Jeffrey recently transferred to LSU. Jeffrey recently transferred from UCLA after tension grew between her and the team after she allegedly used racial slurs towards both Black and Asian people. https://www.brproud.com/news/local-news/watch-lsu-gymnastics-head-coach-addresses-racism-allegations-amid-new-transfer/ I am wondering if UCLA might lose some recruits now. Specifically, 5-star and Team USA member Ciena Alipio who is close with Suni. Both trained together during the pandemic in Minnesota. Ciena would be a huge addition to our team. https://usagym.org/pages/athletes/athleteListDetailPrint2.html?id=448416 I am not sure if she is still in MN or back in San Jose, CA but her profile still lists Jess Graba as coach. Birthdate: 3/7/2004 Program: Women's Artistic Level: Senior Current Residence: Maplewood, MN Club: Midwest Gymnastics Center Head Coach: Jess Graba & Alison Lim