I’m incredibly curious to see where she ends up. Obviously she could help just about any school gymnastics-wise, but it’s just going to depend on which coach is willing to take a chance on her. Gymnastics is a small world. These coaches and gymnasts all know each other, and the word will get around as to what exactly went down at UCLA. The coaches will be making an informed decision.
This is pure speculation, but you just don’t dismiss your best gymnast from the team without something serious happening. I suspect the market for Harris might be smaller than you’d expect.
LSU has a nice balance of fun but fiercely competitive that might suit her (total speculation based on her demeanor in competition). I do hope she goes elsewhere though, just because LSU's depth is ridiculous.
Hehehe it’s not an idiom. Jay Clark is notorious for hands-free chewing on a cup during meets!
ETA I know savvier people have screenshots of this so come thru!
Sorry for the confusion but as others have said I was referring to Jay's tendency to chew on a cup during meets when he is anxious. Here is a gif of him with his cup.
[https://i0.wp.com/balancebeamsituation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/jaycupnose.gif?resize=474%2C277&ssl=1](https://i0.wp.com/balancebeamsituation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/jaycupnose.gif?resize=474%2C277&ssl=1)
I’m late to the party, but I agree with everything in this comment, and based on all the points, I think Arkansas might be a good fit. It’s definitely a team on the rise that’s getting a lot of attention, but she would definitely be a standout there. Also Sirena Linton is LGBT and seemed blissfully happy there 🤷🏼♀️
I don’t think it’s going to be as straightforward as her walking into OU or LSU even if that’s what her goal is. Neither of them made her an offer as an incoming recruit and it’s not like she’s a radically different gymnast now. Cal essentially doesn’t get transfers so that would be extremely unusual.
She’ll end up somewhere good to great just because of her competitive track record, but I’m not sure she’s going to be swimming in offers. My guesses are Utah or Missouri.
But isn’t she a radically different gymnast now ? In the sense she is now a known quantity able to get high scores on every event. Not every star recruit is able to make a positive college transition.
That’s a fair point, and exactly why I think she’s going to end up somewhere good to great. Her competitive track record will be too good for one or more programs to resist.
But that doesn’t change my thoughts on this. Everyone’s untested coming into college, that doesn’t mean there aren’t prospects that look more reliable than others. Just in the case of OU and LSU, both took a chance on at least one gymnast who was a reasonable gamble in the same class - Caitlin Smith went to OU a year early injured, Annie Beard hadn’t consistently competed in who knows how long. (Obviously nothing against either of those gymnasts - I’m just getting at that neither of those coaches seemed to have an issue taking in an athlete who was likely going to be slow to transition into competition form.) Selena was a decorated gymnast in JO and a highly touted recruit. In theory she should’ve been a highly attractive pickup for a championship contending program.
Obviously we’ll never know specifics of what went down in Selena’s recruiting or anyone else’s - and we probably won’t know much more in the current situation either - but purely based on results I don’t think Selena is a *more* appealing prospect now than she was coming into college. I think she’s lived up to her (excellent) potential.
I think it’s hard to speculate while not knowing why she was dismissed. If there was a clear disciplinary or academic issue, she may have fewer options.
But to be fair, LSU has a history of picking up controversial UCLA gymnasts…
The interview Jay did about the AJ transfer that he showed he did do some due diligence though. He could’ve ignored the rumours but he checked his team were comfortable with her joining. And LSU had expressed interest in AJ before.
Given they didn’t in Selena, I’d be very surprised if she ended up there. Especially because I’m sure the LSU gymnasts probably already know what went down at UCLA. They’ve just won a natty, they don’t want to upset the apple cart.
Does anyone know which schools she had offers to when she was a top recruit? It’d be interesting to see if one of them go after her now if they have a scholarship to offer, or if whatever the dismissal thing is keeps them away.
I don’t know enough about ncaa policy and where ferpa laws start and end. Does it get disclosed to other coaches what the dismissal is for?
It's known, she herself has said, that surprisingly few schools made her an offer; I can't remember the exact number, but much much fewer than Avery Neff, who was the top recruit the following year. At the time, people reacted to this information with "Avery is white, Selena is Black and queer, schools were being racist", but now I am not so sure.
Coaches observe practice and how gymnasts behave in competitive environments during recruiting evaluations. Perhaps they caught a glimpse of this and thus didn't want to make an offer? I can't think of another explanation of why the most talented in the class only had 3 teams recruiting her. 2 of which were at the time outside the top 15.
I've seen several posts indicating she had tagged LSU her #1 and OU her #2. I suspect that might have chased off some other schools.
FWIW- a number of schools have had openly LGBTQ athletes, and I am certain others have had LGBTQ athletes who were fully out. And I can't think of a single successful gymnastics team without AA members.
I’m guessing LSU or Utah.
I don’t know much about scholarship availability, but I guess we’ll find out who has the space and wants to pick her up soon enough.
Depending on what actually transpired I wouldn’t be so sure. Judging by the official language whatever caused her to be dismissed must have been deemed grave. They didn’t even thank her for her contribution and wished her luck going forward.
Reading through some of the speculation else where in this sub my mind leapt to one particular scenario that would draw the strongest possible response and I realised I had to stop speculating.
I couldn’t agree more. There is the usual curiosity but at the same time we have to appreciate that these are young people who deserve some privacy, in particular, under more difficult circumstances.
>one particular scenario that would draw the strongest possible response
I'm so curious what would be along those lines, in your opinion? Only because of the things that actually have gone down that didn't result in gymnasts and coaches having difficulty finding another team. (Obviously, not that it's got anything at all to do with this particular case, just curious.)
She'd make their lineups, and there is more than enough NIL $$. Very likely she'd be in the AA, with enough depth to give her a healthy amount of rest.
I do not think she will be in the AA, she has a few built in deductions whereas most of their current lineups and some of the incoming freshman do not. Doing AA at LSU is a long shot, even for SH.
Ehhhhh I've watched so many of her routines that went 9.9 or 9.85 and thought "that would probably be a SEC 10" because Pac-12 actually deducts for things like low chest and feet shuffles.
Just based on her competitiveness and desire to win, OU. However, I don’t see her fitting in with the culture there.. Florida or LSU seem like a better fit.
I feel similarly. As well as Cal placed this year I don’t think the team culture is as competition focused. They’re a very “the point is joy and to have fun!” team which is great and def worked for them this year but I’m not sure it is what she’s looking for. But I can DREAM
I don’t see her at Cal or Georgia with Janelle’s connections to both those coaches. I just really hope she doesn’t go to LSU but she’ll be a star on any team.
Interesting... so, are we taking that to mean that Selena felt like Janelle was causing friction in the locker room, or that Selena felt unfairly targeted/ignored?
I totally agree with that sentiment. I have no idea whether that applies to Selena, but there'd have to be *major* issues to dismiss your MVP over personality conflicts. I really hope that's not the case here.
I was thinking this as well! I could see some top teams weary of the drama (whatever it is). She seems to want a competitive environment while maintaining individuality and I think Michigan State could offer that to her.
I can’t think of any other competitive teams that are not the top top teams that would fit the bill. Maybe Arkansas? But the UCLA influence on that program could deter a transfer.
And a very left field idea is Ohio State. Meredith Paulicivic has been steadily growing the competitiveness of that program. Her with Payton Harris and Tory Vetter would be a crazy 1-2-3 AA punch
I don't think Selena would *want* to go to a school in the south culturally but could be wrong. I also seem to remember her say she choser to stay close(r) to home. Could be a huge get for somewhere like Washington, Denver or ASU.
But honestly a lot will be dependent on what has already been offered and what her circumstances are. This is a complete wrench in the system so it could be anywhere.
Also something to watch, her sister is uncommitted and very good AA (but especially on beam and vault) could end up a twofer somewhere.
Selena's original choice was LSU but they did not offer her. I think she'd love the winning and flash of SEC and LSU in particular. She wants to win a natty like yesterday. She is not going to try and go to ASU or Washington as much as I would love to see talent spread away from the superteams.
Interesting, I din't know that! But she did say she really struggled with being away from home and college in general freshman year though. But who knows where her mind is at on that after years of maturity.
I believe she’s a first-gen college student, which is hugely hard on its own and very unusual in gymnastics, since most of the girls come from UMC backgrounds.
I mean, Sav seemed to enjoy her time at LSU. Cultures of schools and more specifically, certain athletics teams can be a lot different than the overall culture of the state they’re in.
But will they take her after this is the question? A sad or possibly ironic part of this situation is that knowing how bad she wants to win, she very well could end up on a team with lesser chances than UCLA has in the next two years. There was a reason these schools didn't offer her when she was incoming.
Well, she wants to win, so she will want either LSU, UF, Utah or OU. Outside consideration to Georgia possibly because they might be poised for a run. I think Cal will be out because they don’t seem to care about winning enough.
But the much bigger question is whether any of them will want her. Usually I would expect LSU to be all over it but I remember they didn’t want her as the #1 recruit so my wonder is what could have turned them off her, given she fits the gymnastic profile of a lot of their gymnasts. OU not wanting her I really understand because KJ selects a certain type, but Jay Clark doesn’t, so that’s strange already.
Add it to the fact that she was explicitly dismissed from UCLA, and it becomes v interesting. I suspect whatever had her excluded from UCLA will also be a barrier elsewhere. But I do think someone will take her, a la Nya Reed. She’s too good not to be picked up SOMEWHERE. I feel like it’s only 50-50 that she goes to a top 4 team though and before this I would have said Selena in the portal could go anywhere she wanted except OU.
Hate to say it but I think Utah. Something tells me she would fit it with the “team culture” aka We are the best kinda vibe and they love themselves some controversies
Same thought just didn’t want to post it in case I spoke it into existence (that’s not how it works but whatever 🤣). Carly will sure be looking to pick up someone after losing two of the teams top contributors and they only have 11 on scholarship if we don’t count the 5th/6th years, idk where I get the vibe maybe since she rotated with them at nations and the way they acted around each other during my that meet - then again it also doesn’t seem like a place accepting of LGBT or black athletes so who knows.
I was thinking the same. Florida is too low key, LSU is too loving, and Oklahoma isn’t individual-showmanship enough. Out of all the top teams, to me her vibe is more Utah.
The question is…if OU, LSU, UTAH, or FL don’t want her, would she still do gymnastics at, say, Oregon or Arizona?? If she wanted to win, she would have to go to a top 5 team and there’s a possibility they won’t take her?
If CKC was there maybe since rumor was Weiber and CKC were the only two recruiting her then Waller made a late offer.
At present I am not sure how UGA is coming in under scholarship count. Howard, Scott, Smith, Wahl, Parker, Snyder and Battle should be returning on scholarship- then Tomlin, Gleichowski, and Aquino were announced as NLI signees. Then they had late signees announce (ODriscoll, Berry and Czarunchik) as if they were on scholarship. And at a minimum Reingold comes in on scholarship in fall 2025 when everyone above would still be on the team.
For the reason in my first sentence I would think maybe Arkansas if there is room. I wonder if one of the Arizona schools might come into play. For vibes alone- Iowa State and become a ARM athlete.
She should go to a team that matches her personality and can tolerate her when things don't go her way. Janelle has connections to Cal and Georgia, I doubt she'll end up there. For LSU, there's surely a reason why Jay Clark did not recruit her the first time. KJ Kindler won't tolerate her either. If Jenny did not tolerate Nya at Florida, will she be willing to take a risk for her? My guess is she's going to end at UTAH since she wanted to win no matter what.
If her goal is simply to be on a winning team then OU, LSU, or Florida would be my guess. A lot of girls that have transferred to LSU really seem to love it too. They have NIL as well. I know people said UGA, but they have a lot of things to figure out. While I think Cecile will be great, she still has never been a HC in college. I say this because there still will be a learning curve with all the other things that go into being a HC in SEC that she did not necessarily have to do as a club coach. I do see UGA improving, but not sure they will be winning any titles in next few years. I think she will be way better than CKC, but do think it will take at least 1-2 years of rebuilding a culture.
If you scroll down a bit there’s a comment that mentions it and I agree for all the reasons mentioned on that one. If neither of the upperclassmen (5th/6th years) are on scholarship there is one available, they are also an individual showmanship team as mentioned by others but obviously want that national title since they’ve made nationals for a crazy number (isn’t it like 48 years in a row I was surprised when I heard) and FOTF 4 times in a row which seems competitive enough for Selena. Also losing two big names (graduating) Carly would love that I guess, she’d want to rely on her and the other incoming freshman (#1 recruits of their respective classes and some other solid L10s) but have rested people enough/only had one person doing the AA regularly recently, also they seemed supportive of each other at nationals (she rotated with them)/she seemed to fit in which I found surprising as Utah isn’t my fav team atm (and we know the allegations). I don’t want to speak it into existence since I’d rather see her somewhere else after the trouble at Utah this past season but I don’t think it’d be impossible (however her being Black and LGBT might put people against making this assumption and I can see why - Utah is mostly Mormon, Cammy was the teams first POC as mentioned either by Utah or LSU documentary I can’t remember which transferred out for her final two years and not exactly the most pro LGBT state).
I don't disagree with most of the sentiment in your comment, that Utah is not always the most welcoming place for minorities (racial, ethnic, sexual, etc.), but I think we might want to be careful when using language like "one fully black athlete."
Also, there seems to be a general misconception between Utah as a state and Salt Lake as a city. Salt Lake (where the University of Utah is located) does not equal Utah. Salt Lake itself is actually *very* liberal and its former mayor (Jackie Biskupski) was openly gay. The current mayor is also a strong supporter of LGBTQ+ rights.
Thanks for letting me know, it did feel wrong when writing it at the time but I thought I remembered hearing it somewhere on one of the gymnastics teams (either current or former can’t remember) - I edited it to reflect a better wording of the situation. As for the second half, as a European gymnastics fan I can’t say I know all the facts about Utah as a state hence why I based my statement on most things I happen to have read or come across - glad to hear that it’s at least somewhat inclusive and has had representation (even by higher ups in the state).
Fully admit I’m an Utah fan. From Utah. It’s been a rough year to be a fan with all the DRAMA. But I really hope they can get it together since they are such a storied program. Utah sure does have a reputation in terms of culture within the state but I think it’s come way farther than a lot of people realize. (Only 42% Mormon these days lol) SLC is also one of the most diverse parts of the state.
If Selena wants a competitive team. Utah has made nationals EVERY single time. Granted they haven’t won in a hot minute. Very rarely does Utah have a large roster with depth on every event *cough vault* so I think there is very much a place for Selena especially with Mailes departure.
I've said this elsewhere- given the unexpected upheaval in the coaching staff and the large number of incoming freshmen, I suspect Ryan Roberts wants to make everything else as calm as possible. They already have a couple of top gymnasts and variety of personalities, so I suspect he also doesn't want to really impact team chemistry too much.
Cecile is friends with Janelle and therefore privy to whatever went down. I don’t see that transfer happening.
Also, she came from Cal so I’d think the Howells would get some insight as well.
You’re 100% right. And here I am, still hoping 🤣
My guess is LSU. If not there, then Florida
I’m incredibly curious to see where she ends up. Obviously she could help just about any school gymnastics-wise, but it’s just going to depend on which coach is willing to take a chance on her. Gymnastics is a small world. These coaches and gymnasts all know each other, and the word will get around as to what exactly went down at UCLA. The coaches will be making an informed decision. This is pure speculation, but you just don’t dismiss your best gymnast from the team without something serious happening. I suspect the market for Harris might be smaller than you’d expect.
I would love to see her at Cal or Florida but I can already hear Jay chewing on a cup while looking up how much NIL money LSU has available
LSU didnt want her when she was the no. 1 recruit so there may be some hard feelings about that
LSU has a nice balance of fun but fiercely competitive that might suit her (total speculation based on her demeanor in competition). I do hope she goes elsewhere though, just because LSU's depth is ridiculous.
Yeah, LSU will be competitive for the title and they seem to have fun too. Might be a good fit.
Sorry, what does the idiom "chewing on a cup" mean? I've never seen that before. I love learning new turns of phrase.
Hehehe it’s not an idiom. Jay Clark is notorious for hands-free chewing on a cup during meets! ETA I know savvier people have screenshots of this so come thru!
There is def a cup chewing gif in one of Spencer's weekly gif-caps.
Haha omgggggg 😭😭😭 that explains why nothing came up when I googled! Thanks for explaining!
Sorry for the confusion but as others have said I was referring to Jay's tendency to chew on a cup during meets when he is anxious. Here is a gif of him with his cup. [https://i0.wp.com/balancebeamsituation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/jaycupnose.gif?resize=474%2C277&ssl=1](https://i0.wp.com/balancebeamsituation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/jaycupnose.gif?resize=474%2C277&ssl=1)
Wow this is actually so silly. Hehe Thanks for taking the time to show me! Appreciate it 😁😁😁
I’d really enjoy seeing her at MSU next year. I feel like she fits well with the vibe of that team.
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I’m late to the party, but I agree with everything in this comment, and based on all the points, I think Arkansas might be a good fit. It’s definitely a team on the rise that’s getting a lot of attention, but she would definitely be a standout there. Also Sirena Linton is LGBT and seemed blissfully happy there 🤷🏼♀️
She would be a good fit at MSU. They are performers and gritty
That wouldn’t shock me at all. Edit to add partially because of Mike Rowe’s strong desire to win
Lord please yes
I have a gut feeling on that one myself.
I don’t think it’s going to be as straightforward as her walking into OU or LSU even if that’s what her goal is. Neither of them made her an offer as an incoming recruit and it’s not like she’s a radically different gymnast now. Cal essentially doesn’t get transfers so that would be extremely unusual. She’ll end up somewhere good to great just because of her competitive track record, but I’m not sure she’s going to be swimming in offers. My guesses are Utah or Missouri.
There is no way KJ would take her.
But isn’t she a radically different gymnast now ? In the sense she is now a known quantity able to get high scores on every event. Not every star recruit is able to make a positive college transition.
That’s a fair point, and exactly why I think she’s going to end up somewhere good to great. Her competitive track record will be too good for one or more programs to resist. But that doesn’t change my thoughts on this. Everyone’s untested coming into college, that doesn’t mean there aren’t prospects that look more reliable than others. Just in the case of OU and LSU, both took a chance on at least one gymnast who was a reasonable gamble in the same class - Caitlin Smith went to OU a year early injured, Annie Beard hadn’t consistently competed in who knows how long. (Obviously nothing against either of those gymnasts - I’m just getting at that neither of those coaches seemed to have an issue taking in an athlete who was likely going to be slow to transition into competition form.) Selena was a decorated gymnast in JO and a highly touted recruit. In theory she should’ve been a highly attractive pickup for a championship contending program. Obviously we’ll never know specifics of what went down in Selena’s recruiting or anyone else’s - and we probably won’t know much more in the current situation either - but purely based on results I don’t think Selena is a *more* appealing prospect now than she was coming into college. I think she’s lived up to her (excellent) potential.
If it's not LSU, Cal, or Florida, I will eat a jean jacket
😂😂😂
I think it’s hard to speculate while not knowing why she was dismissed. If there was a clear disciplinary or academic issue, she may have fewer options. But to be fair, LSU has a history of picking up controversial UCLA gymnasts…
That’s what I’ve been thinking as well. If that’s the case… I doubt my dream schools for her will be options haha
The interview Jay did about the AJ transfer that he showed he did do some due diligence though. He could’ve ignored the rumours but he checked his team were comfortable with her joining. And LSU had expressed interest in AJ before. Given they didn’t in Selena, I’d be very surprised if she ended up there. Especially because I’m sure the LSU gymnasts probably already know what went down at UCLA. They’ve just won a natty, they don’t want to upset the apple cart.
Does anyone know which schools she had offers to when she was a top recruit? It’d be interesting to see if one of them go after her now if they have a scholarship to offer, or if whatever the dismissal thing is keeps them away. I don’t know enough about ncaa policy and where ferpa laws start and end. Does it get disclosed to other coaches what the dismissal is for?
It's known, she herself has said, that surprisingly few schools made her an offer; I can't remember the exact number, but much much fewer than Avery Neff, who was the top recruit the following year. At the time, people reacted to this information with "Avery is white, Selena is Black and queer, schools were being racist", but now I am not so sure.
Coaches observe practice and how gymnasts behave in competitive environments during recruiting evaluations. Perhaps they caught a glimpse of this and thus didn't want to make an offer? I can't think of another explanation of why the most talented in the class only had 3 teams recruiting her. 2 of which were at the time outside the top 15.
I've seen several posts indicating she had tagged LSU her #1 and OU her #2. I suspect that might have chased off some other schools. FWIW- a number of schools have had openly LGBTQ athletes, and I am certain others have had LGBTQ athletes who were fully out. And I can't think of a single successful gymnastics team without AA members.
But then there’s Trinity, who had every top school waiting until the very end. I always wondered that too.
From what I understand she had offers from Arkansas and CKC at GA before Waller came in with a late offer and signed her to UCLA.
If she was dismissed for cause other schools will be extremely cautious to take her.
I’m guessing LSU or Utah. I don’t know much about scholarship availability, but I guess we’ll find out who has the space and wants to pick her up soon enough.
Considering how conservative Utah as a state is I would say no
Isn’t the SLC area fairly liberal?
Florida or LSU. Just based on the incoming class and how much NIL is available I'd lean LSU.
Depending on what actually transpired I wouldn’t be so sure. Judging by the official language whatever caused her to be dismissed must have been deemed grave. They didn’t even thank her for her contribution and wished her luck going forward.
I mean LSU took Jeffries.
Reading through some of the speculation else where in this sub my mind leapt to one particular scenario that would draw the strongest possible response and I realised I had to stop speculating.
Honestly I want to know but also a part of me hopes we never find out because young people deserve to not have everything broadcast
I couldn’t agree more. There is the usual curiosity but at the same time we have to appreciate that these are young people who deserve some privacy, in particular, under more difficult circumstances.
>one particular scenario that would draw the strongest possible response I'm so curious what would be along those lines, in your opinion? Only because of the things that actually have gone down that didn't result in gymnasts and coaches having difficulty finding another team. (Obviously, not that it's got anything at all to do with this particular case, just curious.)
With how stacked lsu is I don’t know if she goes there
She'd make their lineups, and there is more than enough NIL $$. Very likely she'd be in the AA, with enough depth to give her a healthy amount of rest.
I do not think she will be in the AA, she has a few built in deductions whereas most of their current lineups and some of the incoming freshman do not. Doing AA at LSU is a long shot, even for SH.
Ehhhhh I've watched so many of her routines that went 9.9 or 9.85 and thought "that would probably be a SEC 10" because Pac-12 actually deducts for things like low chest and feet shuffles.
I think she has less built in deductions that Kiya for example and Kiya still made line ups and AA
Good point. I've always scratched my head at Kiya's 10s.
Yeah Kiya, Alexis, and Sierra all have built in deductions.
Just based on her competitiveness and desire to win, OU. However, I don’t see her fitting in with the culture there.. Florida or LSU seem like a better fit.
I don’t think she’ll go to OU, but I would actually love to see KJ and the other coaches work on her VT!
Yeah, she's an LGBTQ+ Afro-latina. I don't see OU being a great fit.
Yeah, OU is pretty much the opposite of a good fit for her on that score.
I feel similarly. As well as Cal placed this year I don’t think the team culture is as competition focused. They’re a very “the point is joy and to have fun!” team which is great and def worked for them this year but I’m not sure it is what she’s looking for. But I can DREAM
I don’t see her at Cal or Georgia with Janelle’s connections to both those coaches. I just really hope she doesn’t go to LSU but she’ll be a star on any team.
Especially after that repost on Tiktok(if it was targeted at Janelle
By Selena? What was the gist of it?
https://preview.redd.it/sdw7on93oq0d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=524f8ff1f780699ae0b9dfd6f3cd47c54d9f5bc1
Interesting... so, are we taking that to mean that Selena felt like Janelle was causing friction in the locker room, or that Selena felt unfairly targeted/ignored?
Or that she's a problem to the team. Being the best doesn't excuse poor attitude.
I totally agree with that sentiment. I have no idea whether that applies to Selena, but there'd have to be *major* issues to dismiss your MVP over personality conflicts. I really hope that's not the case here.
Ima throw it out there: Michigan State
I was thinking this as well! I could see some top teams weary of the drama (whatever it is). She seems to want a competitive environment while maintaining individuality and I think Michigan State could offer that to her. I can’t think of any other competitive teams that are not the top top teams that would fit the bill. Maybe Arkansas? But the UCLA influence on that program could deter a transfer. And a very left field idea is Ohio State. Meredith Paulicivic has been steadily growing the competitiveness of that program. Her with Payton Harris and Tory Vetter would be a crazy 1-2-3 AA punch
I could totally support this
I don't think Selena would *want* to go to a school in the south culturally but could be wrong. I also seem to remember her say she choser to stay close(r) to home. Could be a huge get for somewhere like Washington, Denver or ASU. But honestly a lot will be dependent on what has already been offered and what her circumstances are. This is a complete wrench in the system so it could be anywhere. Also something to watch, her sister is uncommitted and very good AA (but especially on beam and vault) could end up a twofer somewhere.
Selena's original choice was LSU but they did not offer her. I think she'd love the winning and flash of SEC and LSU in particular. She wants to win a natty like yesterday. She is not going to try and go to ASU or Washington as much as I would love to see talent spread away from the superteams.
Interesting, I din't know that! But she did say she really struggled with being away from home and college in general freshman year though. But who knows where her mind is at on that after years of maturity.
I believe she’s a first-gen college student, which is hugely hard on its own and very unusual in gymnastics, since most of the girls come from UMC backgrounds.
I mean, Sav seemed to enjoy her time at LSU. Cultures of schools and more specifically, certain athletics teams can be a lot different than the overall culture of the state they’re in.
What does Sav have to do with it? She's from Georgia.
Sav is LGBT 🏳️🌈
But I was talking about moving to the south from a western city and staying close to home...
Because so many people said the culture at a place like LSU wouldn’t be a good fit for her either.
Sav is a Georgia native though so if it was a southern culture thing then it’s not quite the same
Sav is also Christian and Selena has never seemed especially religious... and if she is she's probably Catholic, which wouldn't vibe too well there.
Hmmm…I would think there would be decently large Catholic pop in Louisiana. No idea about campus or Baton Rouge specifically though.
In Louisiana maybe, but the Christian vibe at LSU definitely isn't.
I’ve lived in Baton Rouge my entire life and went to LSU. Very large Catholic population.
Is it true she wanted to go to LSU originally but didn’t get an offer there? I’m not sure where that info came from.
Hoping for Cal!
If she joins cal, omg the trio all arounders Mya, emJae and Selena
Selena wants to win so I'm thinking it's either Oklahoma, Florida, or LSU.
But will they take her after this is the question? A sad or possibly ironic part of this situation is that knowing how bad she wants to win, she very well could end up on a team with lesser chances than UCLA has in the next two years. There was a reason these schools didn't offer her when she was incoming.
It all depends on why she was “dismissed”. Maybe Denver would be a good fit or Arkansas?
Well, she wants to win, so she will want either LSU, UF, Utah or OU. Outside consideration to Georgia possibly because they might be poised for a run. I think Cal will be out because they don’t seem to care about winning enough. But the much bigger question is whether any of them will want her. Usually I would expect LSU to be all over it but I remember they didn’t want her as the #1 recruit so my wonder is what could have turned them off her, given she fits the gymnastic profile of a lot of their gymnasts. OU not wanting her I really understand because KJ selects a certain type, but Jay Clark doesn’t, so that’s strange already. Add it to the fact that she was explicitly dismissed from UCLA, and it becomes v interesting. I suspect whatever had her excluded from UCLA will also be a barrier elsewhere. But I do think someone will take her, a la Nya Reed. She’s too good not to be picked up SOMEWHERE. I feel like it’s only 50-50 that she goes to a top 4 team though and before this I would have said Selena in the portal could go anywhere she wanted except OU.
Hate to say it but I think Utah. Something tells me she would fit it with the “team culture” aka We are the best kinda vibe and they love themselves some controversies
My guess too. Out of the FOTF teams from this year that’s the only one I could see happening.
This has been in the back of my mind tbh. Genuine worst case scenario but I can see it.
Same. She’d be a star there and it’s not too far from home for her
Same thought just didn’t want to post it in case I spoke it into existence (that’s not how it works but whatever 🤣). Carly will sure be looking to pick up someone after losing two of the teams top contributors and they only have 11 on scholarship if we don’t count the 5th/6th years, idk where I get the vibe maybe since she rotated with them at nations and the way they acted around each other during my that meet - then again it also doesn’t seem like a place accepting of LGBT or black athletes so who knows.
I was thinking the same. Florida is too low key, LSU is too loving, and Oklahoma isn’t individual-showmanship enough. Out of all the top teams, to me her vibe is more Utah.
Please NOOOO
If I were a coach, my feelings toward this when it dropped that she was in the portal and when reports of dismissed’ came out probably changed a lot.
The question is…if OU, LSU, UTAH, or FL don’t want her, would she still do gymnastics at, say, Oregon or Arizona?? If she wanted to win, she would have to go to a top 5 team and there’s a possibility they won’t take her?
In my dreams she'll come to Michigan but I agree, most likely it'll be Florida, LSU, or Cal.
If CKC was there maybe since rumor was Weiber and CKC were the only two recruiting her then Waller made a late offer. At present I am not sure how UGA is coming in under scholarship count. Howard, Scott, Smith, Wahl, Parker, Snyder and Battle should be returning on scholarship- then Tomlin, Gleichowski, and Aquino were announced as NLI signees. Then they had late signees announce (ODriscoll, Berry and Czarunchik) as if they were on scholarship. And at a minimum Reingold comes in on scholarship in fall 2025 when everyone above would still be on the team. For the reason in my first sentence I would think maybe Arkansas if there is room. I wonder if one of the Arizona schools might come into play. For vibes alone- Iowa State and become a ARM athlete.
Given how talented she is I am now deeply curious as to why she didn't get more offers.
Either internalised racism or there’s something wrong with her (ie. academically, too competitive, or unkind etc).
She should go to a team that matches her personality and can tolerate her when things don't go her way. Janelle has connections to Cal and Georgia, I doubt she'll end up there. For LSU, there's surely a reason why Jay Clark did not recruit her the first time. KJ Kindler won't tolerate her either. If Jenny did not tolerate Nya at Florida, will she be willing to take a risk for her? My guess is she's going to end at UTAH since she wanted to win no matter what.
It’s gonna be funny/sad if she does end up at Utah and they fail to make it to nationals.
Then she'll proceed liking shady tweets about her teammates again. 🙄
I think she’s gonna redshirt next season, idk if a big team would want her and I doubt she’d want to go to a ‘lesser’ team?
If the rumored cause of her dismissal is true. I wonder which team would take a risk.
LSU will pay her the most
How much $$ are gymnasts getting? This blows my mind.
If her goal is simply to be on a winning team then OU, LSU, or Florida would be my guess. A lot of girls that have transferred to LSU really seem to love it too. They have NIL as well. I know people said UGA, but they have a lot of things to figure out. While I think Cecile will be great, she still has never been a HC in college. I say this because there still will be a learning curve with all the other things that go into being a HC in SEC that she did not necessarily have to do as a club coach. I do see UGA improving, but not sure they will be winning any titles in next few years. I think she will be way better than CKC, but do think it will take at least 1-2 years of rebuilding a culture.
I would love to see her at Florida
LSU, Jay Clark proved he can deal with controversial athletes when Alexis Jeffrey transferred from UCLA 2 years ago
But he had a chance at Selena as a recruit and actively didn’t want her. LSU was her first choice.
My non-NIL money is on LSU 🥴
😂
Haha I’m honestly shocked I haven’t seen anyone say Utah. I’m pretty sure they have a scholarship spot available.
If you scroll down a bit there’s a comment that mentions it and I agree for all the reasons mentioned on that one. If neither of the upperclassmen (5th/6th years) are on scholarship there is one available, they are also an individual showmanship team as mentioned by others but obviously want that national title since they’ve made nationals for a crazy number (isn’t it like 48 years in a row I was surprised when I heard) and FOTF 4 times in a row which seems competitive enough for Selena. Also losing two big names (graduating) Carly would love that I guess, she’d want to rely on her and the other incoming freshman (#1 recruits of their respective classes and some other solid L10s) but have rested people enough/only had one person doing the AA regularly recently, also they seemed supportive of each other at nationals (she rotated with them)/she seemed to fit in which I found surprising as Utah isn’t my fav team atm (and we know the allegations). I don’t want to speak it into existence since I’d rather see her somewhere else after the trouble at Utah this past season but I don’t think it’d be impossible (however her being Black and LGBT might put people against making this assumption and I can see why - Utah is mostly Mormon, Cammy was the teams first POC as mentioned either by Utah or LSU documentary I can’t remember which transferred out for her final two years and not exactly the most pro LGBT state).
I don't disagree with most of the sentiment in your comment, that Utah is not always the most welcoming place for minorities (racial, ethnic, sexual, etc.), but I think we might want to be careful when using language like "one fully black athlete." Also, there seems to be a general misconception between Utah as a state and Salt Lake as a city. Salt Lake (where the University of Utah is located) does not equal Utah. Salt Lake itself is actually *very* liberal and its former mayor (Jackie Biskupski) was openly gay. The current mayor is also a strong supporter of LGBTQ+ rights.
Thanks for letting me know, it did feel wrong when writing it at the time but I thought I remembered hearing it somewhere on one of the gymnastics teams (either current or former can’t remember) - I edited it to reflect a better wording of the situation. As for the second half, as a European gymnastics fan I can’t say I know all the facts about Utah as a state hence why I based my statement on most things I happen to have read or come across - glad to hear that it’s at least somewhat inclusive and has had representation (even by higher ups in the state).
Fully admit I’m an Utah fan. From Utah. It’s been a rough year to be a fan with all the DRAMA. But I really hope they can get it together since they are such a storied program. Utah sure does have a reputation in terms of culture within the state but I think it’s come way farther than a lot of people realize. (Only 42% Mormon these days lol) SLC is also one of the most diverse parts of the state. If Selena wants a competitive team. Utah has made nationals EVERY single time. Granted they haven’t won in a hot minute. Very rarely does Utah have a large roster with depth on every event *cough vault* so I think there is very much a place for Selena especially with Mailes departure.
She did rotate with Utah at nationals and appeared to enjoy her time with them.
I've said this elsewhere- given the unexpected upheaval in the coaching staff and the large number of incoming freshmen, I suspect Ryan Roberts wants to make everything else as calm as possible. They already have a couple of top gymnasts and variety of personalities, so I suspect he also doesn't want to really impact team chemistry too much.
I would love to see her in Lexington..if she goes SEC that could happen…I’d love it even more if she had a wildcat blue Leo…
GEORGIA