It’s natural to look ahead. And with the 2024 NCAA gymnastics season officially complete, it’s officially time to start predicting the 2025 season. While there are plenty of changes to be made ahead with coaching changes, looming fifth-year announcements and the unpredictable, the concluded season provides us enough context to start making predictions. With plenty of standout rookies, Olympic hopefuls and returning superstars filling rosters, next year is shaping up to be more exciting than ever.
*Predictions were made assuming COVID/fifth-year options were not being used by fourth-year seniors unless declared prior to publishing.
Teams
1. Florida
2. Oklahoma
3. California
4. LSU
5. Utah
6. Michigan State
The Gators haven’t missed a team final this decade and don’t look like they will anytime soon, as this year’s fourth-place squad is only set to gain far more than the four routines it may lose if Victoria Nguyen doesn’t opt for a fifth-year. Kayla DiCello, one of 2023’s standout freshmen, will return after stepping away to train for a run at Paris while fellow Olympic hopeful Skye Blakely is a frontrunner for freshman of the year. She’s one of two five-star recruits Florida will add to its roster, and yes, she’s the younger sister of current Gator star Sloane Blakely.
An early exit from nationals doesn’t negate the Sooners’ record-setting regular season, and the gap they created this year between them and the rest of the country will help reduce the impact of losing a few major players. Ragan Smith, Katherine LeVassuer and Audrey Davis cannot be easily replaced — but Oklahoma always has built-in depth and adds a quartet of four- and five-star recruits to the mix in 2025, meaning the Sooners shouldn’t stray far from the top of the rankings.
Fresh off their best finish ever, the Golden Bears aren’t going anywhere either, as they’re only contending with losing a handful of routines and will bring in one of their top recruits in program history. Five-star Ondine Achampong is in the mix for the British contingent to this summer’s Olympics and will make a huge impact in the NCAA when she arrives, boding well for the newest program on the rise. Look for California to dominate the ACC in its inaugural season in the conference.
It was crucial for the Tigers to win a championship this season, as LSU is set to lose half of its routines from finals — including superstar Haleigh Bryant — and will graduate a significant amount of its touted depth, too. But, with a fully healthy Aleah Finnegan back in the all-around and pairs of four- and five-star recruits en route to Baton Rouge, 2025 looks to be a year of retooling rather than rebuilding for head coach Jay Clark.
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Losing longtime leaders Maile O’Keefe, Abby Paulson and Jaedyn Rucker is working against Utah’s 2025 prospects, but adding a trio of five-stars and the nation’s top recruit, Avery Neff, is a significant win in the “pros” column. Neff also flaunts the highest recruit rating ever, and with six former five-star recruits in the past two classes for the Red Rocks, they may have the best long-term potential of the contenders.
The Spartans fell short of the NCAA championships this season after failing to advance out of the Gainesville “regional of death,” but they retain much of their top-10 roster and look to be the Big Ten’s best bet for nationals. Head coach Mike Rowe’s renowned recruiting streak continues as five-star Amy Doyle is headed to East Lansing and should have Michigan State threatening to disrupt the top five.
Honorable Mentions: UCLA, Stanford
The Bruins will push Michigan State in the new-look Big Ten, but their season hinges a lot upon whether Jordan Chiles competes or not. She opted out of the 2024 season to attempt a return to the Games and would raise UCLA’s ceiling immensely if she were to return to her power duo alongside Selena Harris. The Cardinal could capitalize on its run to nationals as it loses just Chloe Widner and adds five-star recruit Ui Soma to lineups. Stanford will be an easy favorite for second in the ACC behind California and will be a squad no program wants to face all season long with its upset potential.
All-Around
1. Jordan Bowers, Oklahoma
2. Selena Harris, UCLA
3. eMjae Frazier, California
4. Leanne Wong, Florida
5. Mya Lauzon, California
6. Anya Pilgrim, Florida
Bowers went neck and neck with eventual 2024 all-around champ Bryant all season long, and all eyes will be on her as the heir to the throne in 2025. She’s hit perfection on every event aside from beam and has now faced every potential situation — good and bad — one could face in their NCAA career, as being battle-tested will only help her improve her already stout composure.
Whether Chiles makes an krikya18.comeback or not, Harris will be the face of UCLA next season. She was one of this season’s most dangerous all-arounders, capable of popping off for a score in the 39.9s and now has a year of experience being her program’s go-to on every event. Her scoring potential is as high as Bowers’, also having put up multiple 10s in one meet, but hasn’t shown quite as much consistency to do so.
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One of the most underrated gems of the 2024 season was seeing eMjae Frazier put it all together. The eye-catching all-around totals she showed flashes of in 2023 were far more frequent as she and Mya Lauzon were the catalysts to Cal’s skyrocket to the top. Their ability to consistently reign in some of the best four-event marks in the country is why the Golden Bears will remain relevant.
Wong’s overall totals in 2024 weren’t as flashy as what we saw from her in 2023, but with less of an emphasis on training elite next season without an upcoming Olympics, an uptick in her scores is expected with the reduced distractions. She and Anya Pilgrim, who showed unprecedented levels of poise and composure in her freshman campaign, are the main factors in why Florida will be a favorite for its first championship in a decade.
Honorable Mentions: Faith Torrez, Oklahoma
Get ready for a redemption arc, as Torrez will be out for revenge next season after sitting Oklahoma’s opening vault in its championship semifinal after a year as a top-15 all-arounder. With the Sooners’ big departures, she’ll be looked upon more than ever by head coach KJ Kindler to be a leader.
Vault
1. Selena Harris, UCLA
2. Mya Lauzon, California
3. Makenzie Wilson, Kentucky
4. Sage Kellerman, Michigan State
5. Hannah Scheible, Oklahoma
6. Nikki Smith, Michigan State
With Bryant and her dominant front handspring pike half departing NCAA gymnastics barring a late fifth-year decision, vault looks to be the most wide-open event heading into 2025. Wilson, Kellerman and Scheible lead the contingent of the same vault after having success with the front entry throughout 2024 and stand out above the rest as the once unique vault becomes more popular.
Leading the pack of Yurchenko one and a half is Harris, as hers earned a trio of 10s this season as her knack for sticking leaves no room for deduction paired with her dynamic block. Lauzon rivals her in form and distance, as her regionals 10 would suggest, as she has shown tremendous growth on this event throughout her career.
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The Spartans should be one of 2025's top vault teams, with Kellerman and Smith leading the charge after finishing 2024 ranked No. 4 in NQS. Both have been perfect for their booming efforts off the table, with two potential anchoring 10s able to put Michigan State up against the best in the country.
Honorable Mentions: Anna Roberts, Stanford
The current NCAA vault champion will be in the mix for top vaulter in 2025, as her Yurchenko one and a half comes with excellent form. She missed the early season recovering from injury and didn’t score well until the postseason, where she put forth her best vault ever, and is primed for a standout season back at full health.
Bars
1. Jordan Bowers, Oklahoma
2. Lily Smith, Georgia
3. Leanne Wong, Florida
4. Madelyn Williams, California
5. Kayla DiCello, Florida
6. Isabella Minervini, Towson
While fans clamored over teammate Davis’ stunning set last season, Bowers quietly put up equal numbers on bars with her textbook form, tying for first in NQS and positioning herself as one of the top routines heading into 2025. She’ll be pushed by Smith, a nationals qualifier in the all-around in her debut season, whose lines and toe point are unrivaled on a national and international basis.
Despite bars being one of Wong’s best events, it was Florida’s worst, but its outlook gets much brighter with the return of DiCello who shined on the event in her freshman season. She hit 10.0 twice, and with her and Wong threatening perfection on a weekly basis, expect the Gators’ event ranking on bars to rise far higher than 10th where it sat in 2024.
Bars have been a strength of California’s for years, with Williams anchoring the lineup for much of that time. Her smooth swing and crisp handstands have been on 10-watch for quite some time, with 2025 another shot at upping her near-perfect career-high. Minervini falls in that same category, which is remarkable as she competes outside of a power conference program. Without as strong of routines surrounding her it’s notoriously more difficult to reach perfection competing for a mid-major program, but the Towson standout is plenty capable.
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Honorable Mentions: Mara Titarsolej (Missouri), Carly Bauman (Michigan)
The pair of individual bars qualifiers to nationals aim to be fixtures in the top 10 on bars in 2025 as they step into leadership roles in their respective programs. Titarsolej is the first gymnast to score a 10 on bars in both LIU and Mizzou history while Bauman will be the focal point of a Wolverine program hitting rebuildling mode.
Beam
1. Konnor McClain, LSU
2. Faith Torrez, Oklahoma
3. Mya Lauzon, California
4. Selena Harris, UCLA
5. Grace McCallum, Utah
6. eMjae Frazier, California
The most iconic moment of McClain’s young collegiate career came in the NCAA final, when she nailed her beam routine following a fall to help LSU post its highest beam total ever and clinch the natty. She went for a 10 in her debut season on beam and has the finesse and skillset to dominate the event throughout the rest of her career.
Torrez was critical in setting up teammate Ragan Smith for her bevy of perfect scores throughout 2024 and should receive the same setup from her fellow Sooners in 2025. She tied for the NCAA title this season to rebound from her vault miss and carry positive momentum toward the upcoming year.
California ranked second on beam to the Sooners this season, with Lauzon a premier reason why. Her sturdiness cannot go unnoticed as she dropped under 9.9 just twice—for a 9.850 and 9.875—as it pairs perfectly with her flexibility and flawless triple series. She and teammate Frazier both hit 10.0 on beam this year and should have the Golden Bears battling for the top beam ranking in the season to come.
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Ranking in the top 15 but receiving little hype, Harris was one of the most underrated beam workers throughout the season. But, her efforts were rewarded with a trip to Fort Worth on the event and third place finished despite competing without teammates, a testament to what she’ll be able to do in the future on beam.
In recent years, the Red Rocks have become renowned for their beam lineup, but with mainstays O’Keefe and Paulson departing, McCallum will be responsible for keeping the legacy alive. Her 10.0 career-best is appealing, as is her Olympic pedigree, in preserving head coach Carly Dockendorf’s status on her pet event.
Honorable Mentions: Syd Morris, LIU
The highest-ranking individual outside of the power conferences on beam is Morris, who made their fair share of appearances in the 2024 power rankings. Always fighting the odds competing for a smaller program, they continued to put up impressive numbers and should only improve upon those as their NCAA career progresses. Keep an eye on this name for a possible future trip to championships.
Floor
1. Jade Carey, Oregon State
2. Aleah Finnegan, LSU
3. eMjae Frazier, California
4. Jocelyn Moore, Missouri
5. Creslyn Brose, Kentucky
6. KJ Johnson, LSU
Whether or not we’ll still be able to call Carey the current Olympic floor champion next year is irrelevant because she’ll still undoubtedly be the best tumbler in the NCAA. Her repertoire of elite skills and ability to perform them with ease was evidenced by her dominance in the event despite only competing it in the second half of the season. She showcased one of the hardest tumbling passes college gymnastics has ever seen and scored a 10 for it—twice.
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Carey’s biggest challenger on floor will be Finnegan, 2024’s national champion in the event. Finnegan also tumbles two difficult passes with precision and does so nearly every week as she and Johnson will lead LSU’s signature event. After Johnson’s uncharacteristic fall in the NCAA final, she’s undoubtedly aiming to build upon a season that already saw her rank amongst the top 15 in the country.
Two of the country’s most powerful tumblers, Moore and Frazier, should factor into the top floor standings in 2025 with their sky-high double layouts punctuating their program’s lineups. This duo's signature skills include landing E-passes with their chest up and front feet glued to the floor in the lunge.
Brose was an unexpected crowd-pleaser in 2024, as the freshman exceeded expectations in her debut campaign to make her mark on Kentucky’s historic season. In addition to clean tumbling, Brose has a knack for performance—something that is tricky to teach but critical in huge scores—and is in line to nab the perfect scores she spent the season setting Raena Worley up for.
Honorable Mentions: Joscelyn Roberson, Arkansas
In contention for the U.S. team to the upcoming Olympics, Roberson is one of the high-profile recruits who will undoubtedly make an impact on the 2025 NCAA gymnastics season. She’s renowned for her power on vault and floor, and under the tutelage of floor mastermind head coach Jordyn Wieber, should flourish here in her debut year and keep the Razorbacks in the hunt for a repeat trip to the national championships.
