Early Predictions for 2023-2024

[irichluck21]

Barros is indeed deferring until fall 2024.

Which is smart as hell because she should easily qualify to the Olympics, as long as she hits 4 for 4 of course.

 

[cftmoonlight79]

Most Anticipated Freshmen on Vault - College Gym News

All the recent articles published on College Gym News, including event coverage, recruiting news, features, data deep dives and more.

collegegymnews.com

Thoughts?

 

[irichluck21]

Way Too Early 2024 Power Rankings: May Update - College Gym News

All the recent articles published on College Gym News, including event coverage, recruiting news, features, data deep dives and more.

collegegymnews.com

 

[Beamer]

Is Leanne Wong taking the 2023-2024 season off from NCAA?

 

[cuuf]

At this point no. She is actively training with the team and is on campus taking classes. It remains to be seen if she is going to fully compete or just choose meets/events that she will contribute during the season.

 

[Beamer]

A list of elites aiming for the Olympics and whether they are competing the 2023-2024 NCAA season. Please correct any that are wrong.

Wong: yes
Carey: yes
DiCello: no
Chiles: no
Lee: no (done with NCAA)

Those who haven’t started NCAA yet
Blakely, Skye: no

 

[irichluck21]

Addison Fatta is also deferring Oklahoma.
Shilese Jones is deferring Florida.

 

[RedBirdie]

Has Shilese ever signed an NLI with Florida?

 

[irichluck21]

Unsure about the NLI, but Shi has posted in social media she is going to Florida.
Also her USAG bio says Florida.

Also in this interview, she was going to Florida after Tokyo, but her father’s death change her mind and she wanted to go for Paris

Shilese Jones’ Star Turn Puts Her In Pole Position Going Into Day 2 At Gymnastics Nationals

...

www.teamusa.com

Long content in her plan to take one real shot at the Olympics in 2020, then embark on an NCAA career at Florida, Jones changed her mind after her dad died. Encouraged by other gymnasts to keep going, she moved from her training base in Ohio back home to the Seattle area earlier this year. Her start date at Florida is now set for fall of 2024 — after the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

 

[cftmoonlight79]

Will Shi have eligibility left at UF? I thought you could only take so much time off between high school grad and college before the clock started? Shes 21 years old at this point.

 

[irichluck21]

Shi has the Covid year in 2021 due to the Olympics being postponed. No deferment or clock countdown was started.
She took her gap year in 2022, all athletes have a gap year built in.

So she deferred 2023, which means she should have 3 years of eligibility left as long as she starts fall of 2024.

 

[cuuf]

Do you have a link to the NCAA rules regarding this? I have just heard so many different explanations of this it is really unclear to me. I have also seen 30-year-old college athletes playing D1 sports. The only thing that I have been able to find on an NCAA website is that the eligibility clock does not start until you enroll in your first classes, which would seem to indicate there is no age limit to start, other than entrance requirements to university (which may have x number of years after high school?). Idk?

Here is an article on eligibility that supports that:
Years of eligibility

And from NCAA:
Transfer rules

 

[irichluck21]

Not sure what the situation with the 30 year old is, could be he/she never played the sport and therefore didn’t need to take a gap year.

Here is the explanation of the gap year for delayed enrollment.

NCAA waived 2020-2021 school year for everyone so that athletes training for Tokyo were not impacted by the postponement.

 

[cuuf]

Thanks, why am I not surprised that the NCAA is so confusing in their rules and application. Still not sure how someone who is 30+ yo can play D1 college football, which I know has happened in recent history, but maybe there was some appeal process? Regardless it may ultimately be a moot point if she decides not to go to UF.

 

[RedBirdie]

Are you referring to the former Marine who is trying to play football for UVA? That one is not only complicated by the fact he did 4 years as an undergrad at UVA, joined the military, freezing the clock, but the fact that is that his final year of eligibility had actually expired last year. UVA applied for a waiver, was denied, appealed, and won and extra year. So, an insanely weird situation.

Former Marine Matt Ganyard, now 34, living college football dream as Virginia football walk-on

Former Marine Matt Ganyard, now 34, has walked on as a kicker for the Virginia football team.

richmond.com

 

[RedBirdie]

Speaking of deferrals and whatnot, is Zoe Miller going to LSU on time, or waiting until 2024?

 

[cuuf]

No, there was a kicker from Australia for Colorado. And I am pretty sure there are a few others scattered around. Obviously not the norm, but have seen it.

 

[irichluck21]

There are exceptions to the rule of course. Military service, religious missions, and foreign aid services do not count for eligibility years.

Many who opt to join the armed service right after high school can qualify for an extension while they are in good standing with their military branch. My cousin went to the US Army and then did 6 years of active service. He started at UCONN as a freshman at age 24. He didn’t opt to play sports, as he was not a good enough high school basketball player to make the strong UCONN men’s team. Without the tuition payments from the GI Bill he would have been unable to attend university.

Additionally, you can walk on to a sport you have not competed in as a high school student athlete or as an amateur and compete that sport and it does not effect your eligibility.

In the case of Tom Hutton a punter from Australia, competed at Oklahoma State from 2019-2022. He was 29 when he started as a freshman and his senior year he was 32 years old. The difference was that he was not considered an “American Football” player as he was in the “Australian Rules Football” league. So I guess there was gray area there in regard to competing the “same” sport.

However, in the case of Shilese, it is very clear that she graduated high school and has continued to compete at an amateur level (elite) so therefore every year past her gap year takes off a year of eligibility.

 

[Orange]

Zoe Miller’s deferring a year. Considering LSU currently has a million people on the roster it’s not the worst idea.

Do we know when Shilese actually graduated from high school? If she’s deferring three years then she’d only lose one year of eligibility, but if it’s four years then wouldn’t she lose two? She’ll be 22 when she starts at Florida. The whole thing is overly complicated.

 

[RedBirdie]

Shilese’s USAG profile says she graduated in 2020. Which is why it’s very strange to me that she never signed a NLI with Florida. She should have been part of the group that signed in Fall 2019. If I remember correctly, we were all curious why she didn’t do so, and speculation was pretty rampant that she couldn’t get cleared academically. And then she didn’t sign in Fall 2020, which only increased speculation.

At this point, I believe she’s actually committed to Florida when I see it. Every year it’s “Shilese Jones to Florida!” and every year no NLI is signed.