After visiting the University of Florida campus and Gators gymnastics program on May 1, Arkansas transfer and 2024 Olympic replacement athlete Joscelyn Roberson chose an in-conference rival Thursday.
Roberson committed to Georgia, which finished sixth overall last season after nearly defeating LSU with their best NCAA Championships score since 2014 in semifinal one to advance to the Final Four on the Floor. The storied Bulldogs program has 10 national titles, including a five-year streak from 2005 to 2009.
It can be assumed Roberson will train under her former elite coaches, the husband-and-wife duo Laurent Landi and Cécile Canqueteau-Landi, looking for a spot on the 2028 Team USA Olympic roster.
“The minute I stepped on campus at UGA, it just felt like home,” Roberson said in her announcement on Instagram. “I know it’s cliche but the relaxing comfort and happiness I felt while I was there was unlike anything else.”
The official decision on Instagram Live comes after Landi signed on to be the GymDogs’ associate head coach alongside his wife and head coach Canqueteau-Landi on May 12. The two coached Roberson, two-time Olympians Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles, Gators alumnus Alyssa Baumann, Florida sophomore Lily Bruce, future Gator Dulcy Caylor and many more at World Champions Centre in Spring, Texas.
Canqueteau-Landi’s co-head coach for two seasons, Ryan Roberts, left the program April 21 to take the head coaching vacancy at Auburn, leaving room for Landi and two new assistant coaches, Megan Haught and Brenna Brooks, to join the staff.
On April 27, Roberson shocked the gymnastics world, announcing her transfer from Arkansas after two years.
“My decision comes from a place of love for all of you and respect for the University of Arkansas,” Roberson posted on Instagram.
The following day, Arkansas coach Jordyn Wieber suddenly stepped down after seven seasons at the helm, followed by an immediate promotion for her husband and Razorbacks assistant head coach Chris Brooks. However, it is reported that Roberson entered the portal after Arkansas’s seventh-place finish at the NCAA Gymnastics Championships on April 16.
Just days after her announcement, she surprised everyone again by visiting Gainesville amid public assumption she would join Canqueteau-Landi at Georgia.
Gator Nation’s excitement did not last long, as Roberson next visited UCLA the day after Landi signed with the Dawgs.The tour continued Sunday, when she went to Athens.
For Florida, things look consistent. The program has yet to have a gymnast publicly enter the portal or a transfer commit to be a Gator. Instead, Florida continues to build its roster with incoming freshmen to fill the shoes of graduating seniors Selena Harris-Miranda, eMjae Frazier, Riley McCusker and Lori Brubach.
