2022 Coaching Changes (vacancies in post 100)

[makam]

Maybe they are also nursing injuries that a year off will help? Use the year off to really knock out the hard classes?

 

[irichluck21]

Still seems a bit odd to me. Taking a whole year off but I guess the novelty of inaugural class at a slightly higher profile school did it? Also seems a bit limiting on clemson side to give up half their scholarship roster to a mid level squad? Does that send a bad signal out to potential recruits?

The Clemson facility will be state of the art compared to Utah State for number 1.

Also, Clemson in general has a strong athletic program, something that Utah State doesn’t really have so there are a lot more resources available.

NIL must be a huge factor as well, Clemson has the big name compared to Utah State and also part of the ACC, a well known conference.

 

[irichluck21]

I know that athletes transfer for all kinds of reasons, but I’m having trouble getting my head around the fact that six athletes would pick up stakes from their team/school, move across the country, jump through the hoops of an academic transfer, and sit out a year to join a brand new team.

This happens all of the time though.
When Arkansas started their team they had mostly freshman but also had a group of upper classman that joined the team.

Long Island also pulled a large group of transfers. Majority of whom came from Bridgeport. Emma Brown transferred as a sophomore from Denver.

There is some prestige in being part of the inaugural class for a new gymnastics program.

 

[cats]

Transfers make sense. It would take a long time to normalize recruiting if all twelve of your scholarships went to freshmen. Six from one school though… Utah State must be losing it. They just lost half their team.

I will say that I get wanting to transfer sooner rather than later for academic reasons, and I get not wanting to waste a precious year of eligibility at a program you don’t like. I’d rather graduate later with the degree I really want and having had the athletic experience I dreamed about than compromise. But… if it’s true that Clemson doesn’t have a gym yet, that all sounds like a bit of a logistics nightmare. I’m sure they’ll train at some nearby club, but still.

 

[irichluck21]

But… if it’s true that Clemson doesn’t have a gym yet, that all sounds like a bit of a logistics nightmare. I’m sure they’ll train at some nearby club, but still.

Clemson has a gym. The Clemson Gymnastics Club practices and holds meets there. It’s in the Fike Recreation Center on campus. It has three gyms for gymnastics, an Olympic sized lap pool, a diving well, 6 basketball courts, 5 racquetball courts, cardio hallways, a full indoor track, two yoga studios, a dance studio, 5 fully loaded exercise gyms, a sauna, a sun deck, multiple meeting/all purpose rooms, and all of the athletic offices are located there.

While the main facility won’t be ready for the fall, the incoming group will have plenty of space to practice on campus.
It really is a state of the art fitness facility, so there shouldn’t be any issues with training.

 

[irichluck21]

 

[nog]

I was told that the clemson 6 will be on scholarship for this upcoming season (even though clemson will not have a season). Because they are on scholarship this next year they will all be using their Redshirt year.

 

[RedBirdie]

If I were USU, I would be livid that Smith decimated the program. Coaches leave. Fine. Even an assistant following the head coach is’t unusual. But to then poach six of the best gymnasts, too?

 

[irichluck21]

If I were USU, I would be livid that Smith decimated the program. Coaches leave. Fine. Even an assistant following the head coach is’t unusual. But to then poach six of the best gymnasts, too?

What can you really do about it?
Gymnasts switch schools all the time when new head coaches come in.

Also, it is old practice, but gymnasts for decades have always had the option to transfer without penalty when new head coaches have come on board, additionally gymnasts were able to reneg on their signing if a new head coach was hired.

We have no way of knowing if Smith actively approached the gymnasts or if they wanted to follow her. Since it is a new program, a full team of scholarships are available.

The AD had to know that gymnasts would follow them or potentially transfer elsewhere.
Once the head coach leaves there is no obligation to keep the assistant coaches already in place. Erik Lewis made the right move to follow Smith and clearly Stephen Hood didn’t wait to see if he would keep his job, he bounced to Denver.

I mean…if I had the chance to move from Utah State to Clemson I would certainly do it. USU is relatively unknown outside of NCAA gymnastics, where Clemson is consistently a top 25-30 public university in the US.
Clemson always ranks top ten when it comes to alumni contributions and support for students.
It is definitely a lot more diverse and liberal than USU which is on the super conservative side.

I would literally be screaming “TAKE ME WITH YOU!”

 

[irichluck21]

How Did Clemson Get Six Transfers?

Clemson’s sextuplet transfer class showcases the power of an upstart gymnastics program when it is backed by a $100 million dollar athletic department.

themedalcount.com

After it was recently announced that Clemson had successfully secured the transfer of six gymnasts from Utah State University, for many fans of the sport the news is rather shocking. Clemson is a brand new program that won’t make its debut until two years down the road. At first glance it feels inadvisable that a prospective transfer would change schools while knowing she’d have to take a hiatus to continue her college career. Yet not one, but six gymnasts willingly pursued this option, and did it in regards to a new school that is over 1,900 miles away.

Clemson’s current head coach Amy Smith was the former head of the Utah State program. It is her personal relationship with these gymnasts that has helped facilitate this move. But even with that connection in mind, I am continuing to see gymnastics fans express bewilderment over Clemson’s announcement. How could Clemson pull off such a staggering coup and with such ease?

For the gymnastics community, it just experienced its first notable moment where the power of Clemson was finally unleashed. If there is any doubt as to why six gymnasts left Utah State for Clemson, remember the following number.

130

That is how many major football schools exist at the highest level of NCAA football. In college football there is a significant emphasis placed on recruiting class rankings and 247 Sports is one of the best known sites for measuring the strength of each team’s incoming class. According to 247 Sports, Clemson’s last three class rankings were as follows:

14th, 5th, 3rd

According to 247 Sports, Utah state’s last three class rankings were the following:

85th, 126th, 122nd

While there is not much in common between college football and gymnastics, in the realm of recruiting, there is. Regardless of which sport an athlete participates in, the major factors encouraging a prospect to make his or her decision are largely the same. Whether its gymnastics or football, the brand recognition, conference affiliation, academics, location, and facilities have the same effect pulling an athlete towards that particular school.

The vast differences between Utah State and Clemson in the college football pecking order gives Clemson a similar advantage in the realm of gymnastics. No matter how much of an upstart Clemson’s gymnastics program is, it has the resources to outmuscle programs that have been part of the sport for decades. All on the simple basis that Clemson has resources at its disposal that dwarfs all but a handful of programs.

If you are confused as to how this upstart program was able to land six transfers, it is because Clemson is one of the wealthiest athletic programs in the NCAA. Its athletic budget prior to the Covid-19 Pandemic was $132 Million a year. This is an institution that can offer prospective recruits (or in this case prospective transfers) the most luxurious accommodations including dorms, dining halls, training halls and recreational centers that are exclusive to its student-athletes. Clemson can not only offer accommodations that are far superior to the average college student, but accommodations that greatly exceed all but a small number of gymnastics programs.

Gymnasts who choose the Clemson Tigers not only get the benefit of a wealthy program, but one with a massive fanbase. Despite being two years out from its season debut, the Twitter account Clemson created for its gymnastics team gained a larger following than future ACC rival North Carolina State within the first week of the program being officially announced. Since then, the mostly dormant Twitter account has managed to bring itself to within 600 followers of Pitt, the second largest of its three future ACC rivals. It is probable that by the time Clemson makes its competition debut it will already have the largest social media following within its own conference.

When Clemson’s gymnastics program was first announced, those who are familiar with the NCAA power structure immediately understood that this was going to be a game changer. The arrival of Clemson was not going to be like any contemporary example of a new school joining the sport. The arrival of Clemson meant the inclusion of a program capable of immediately upending other programs and would have little standing in its way to becoming one of the strongest programs in the sport.

Even before Amy Smith was named its head coach, there was excitement over the arrival of this program simply because it had the backing of one of the richest athletic departments in the country. For those who are die hard gymnastics fans capable of reciting any page within the Code of Points from memory, but weren’t familiar with this school because it had previously lacked a gymnastics program, Clemson’s sextuplet transfer class just showcased what all the fuss was about.

 

[cuuf]

Like I posted in the other thread, this is huge wish-casting, but hey, until competition starts, everyone is a winner! Amiright?

 

[irichluck21]

Also, let’s not forget that the ACC will be 4 teams. Pitt, UNC, and NC State are not necessarily top notch programs.

Utah State was ranked 25th at end of regular season.
NC State was 30th.
North Carolina was 35th.
Pitt was 43rd.

If you take those 6 gymnasts from USU it will make an IMMEDIATE impact at Clemson. Especially Brie Clark, but Rebecca Wells is a strong all arounder who placed 5th at regionals and nearly made it to Nationals with a 39.350. The other 4 have several events that they can go 9.8 plus on. So the team will be prepared to be competitive immediately.

I think the goal for Clemson would be to win the first ACC championships. That alone will be something that they can use for recruiting.
Defeating UNC, North Carolina State, and Pitt won’t be easy, but with the group it is definitely doable.
Not to mention that Clemson will be highly likely to get walk on athletes as well, which could be a huge factor in their depth.

 

[daniTS]

I know it’s a bit complicated b/c of the discussion about Clemson’s coach, but I played fairly high level soccer (gymnastics equivalent I was roughly a level 10 who decided not to do NCAA but could have) and I had one coach in particular I 100% would have moved across the country/sat a year for, especially to then help build a program. And I’m pretty confident at least a few other girls would have done the same. I haven’t even played for him in 16 years and he’s still someone I would reach out to for support when the chips were down/look back on as one of the most important non-family members in my life aged 10-19 and beyond, so I could definitely imagine going where he went if I had picked a school based more on coaching/playing style than the school itself…but of course all just speculation!

 

[cuuf]

Its all relative I guess. In some regards, with these six transfers Clemson should start in a more competitive position than a program like LIU. But its only relative to the ACC which as pointed out, is a pretty average conference of 4. Still UNC and NC State are not sitting still and UNC in particular seem to be on an upswing. Does seem sketchy that all 6 transferred together to sit a year out from a technicality standpoint. Meaning was contact made before they entered the portal, what was discussed, etc. I highly doubt they are going to practice in the student rec center, as these places are notoriously overcrowded, no pits, no tumble traks. Even if they did, its going to be sub-optimal conditions for a year. It will be interesting to see how they come out of a year of no competition. But that’s part of what makes this fun, to speculate things like this

 

[Sasha]

Okay, so my confusion probably stems in part from my unfamiliarity with NCAA; I didn’t realise similar multi-athlete transfers had occurred in the past. And it’s also partly due to the fact that for me, university was strictly about academics. It’s not to say that I think these athlete’s choices are illegitimate, they’re just hard for me to wrap my head around. Thanks @irichluck21 and @daniTS.

 

[irichluck21]

I highly doubt they are going to practice in the student rec center, as these places are notoriously overcrowded, no pits, no tumble traks.

Completely opposite of this actually.

Clemson is well known for their athletic and club program and having grand sports facilities. The Fisk Recreation Center is a facility that most universities would dream of having.

A university must have state of the art athletic complexes and facilities to appeal to athletes that take campus tours.

Clemson already has a top ranked gymnastics club program so they have all the equipment that the competition team would need. If it is missing I am sure that it will be installed for this school year.

 

[cuuf]

Clemson is well known for their athletic and club program and having grand sports facilities. The Fisk Recreation Center is a facility that most universities would dream of having.

Where is this information found? I live in the south and around here, Clemson is not known for the athletic and club programs. Their football team’s recent success, yes. Student rec centers are wholly different than student athlete training centers. I know the clemson football program has a state of the art stand alone football facility that includes training rooms and such. Most athletic programs share these among the various sports. Clemson as an athletic program is pretty middling. If you look at the director cup standings they have never cracked the top 10.

Regardless, at best they will be training for a year in a gym and equipment that was not intended to support a D1 gymnastics program. This would include having to share some type of scheduling with club programs or other student organizations. Will that have some impact on things? We will see, maybe?

 

[irichluck21]

Where is this information found?

Oops I called it Fisk a few times and not Fike. I don’t know what in my brain changed the spelling! Probably because Fisk University is also starting a team.

Campus Recreation | Division of Student Affairs, Clemson University, South Carolina

The Department of Campus Recreation strives to provide quality recreation experiences to the students, faculty and staff of Clemson University through its programs and facilities. These experiences afford the diverse campus community opportunities to interact while participating in a wide...

www.clemson.edu

Clemson Club Gymnastics | Pendleton SC

Clemson Club Gymnastics, Pendleton, South Carolina. Gefällt 925 Mal · 2 Personen sprechen darüber · 10 waren hier. The Clemson Club Gymnastics team is made up of both male and female gymnasts of ALL...

www.facebook.com

Clemson Gymnastics

WE ARE A CO-ED TEAM THAT COMPETES WITHIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INTERCOLLEGIATE GYMNASTICS CLUBS (NAIGC). CLEMSON CLUB GYMNASTICS IS TRYING TO RAISE INTERE

clemsongymnastics.wixsite.com

I follow a few club teams like Clemson, that are always qualifying to NAIGC nationals and always wondered why Clemson didn’t have a competition team.

Clemson is not known for the athletic and club programs.

That is interesting. I live in the New England and around here Clemson is known as an athletic heavy school. Football is most known, but other sports like soccer, golf, track, and tennis, rowing, softball, and baseball are traditionally in the top 10-25 rankings.
Soccer has 3 national championships…the same as football.

But then again football is HUGE in the south.

I do agree with you in the fact that the gymnasts are taking a year off and you never know what can happen.
But I also do believe that Clemson deciding to establish a gymnastics program wasn’t just a wake up that morning decision.

 

[cuuf]

Football is king in the south, but, all sports are super competitive. That’s why the SEC pretty much dominates in any sport they enter. I can certainly see the perception of Clemson being a big athletic school but the facts don’t play that out. Their baseball team is probably the next best athletic program. They have had some pockets of success in other programs, softball is having a good year this year. But consistently challenging for championships across all programs is not there.

I agree with you, Clemson is entering gymnastics with all intention of being competitive. And its awesome to see a big P5 school add a gymnastics program. I would love to see all the SEC schools add programs. They have the TV money to support them.

 

[irichluck21]

I would love to see all the SEC schools add programs. They have the TV money to support them.

It will be interesting to see what happens with gymnastics once Oklahoma and Texas join the SEC.
I have always wondered why Texas or Texas A&M don’t have gymnastics teams considering the hot bed of gymnastics in Texas.

Tennessee/Vanderbilt are also interesting that neither have a team.

Although, I can see SEC universities without programs NOT wanting to establish a gymnastics program due to the sheer force the SEC is in women’s gymnastics.

If all SEC schools had gymnastics, they could have a division championship, with the winner of each division facing off in a dual meet to determine the SEC champion.