Recent transfer and former Olympic alternate has a big dream for UGA gymnastics
Joscelyn Roberson made headlines across the college gymnastics world when she chose Georgia as her new home after spending the previous two years at Arkansas.
Now, the soon-to-be junior and 2024 Team USA Olympic alternate has plans of turning UGA gymnastics into a superpower, drawing enthusiasm similar to the school’s most prominent sport.
“I do believe that gymnastics will be the football of women’s sports,” Roberson said confidently.
While GymDogs meets are already a hot ticket in Athens, Roberson’s vision is to bring the summer Olympic fanbase of U.S gymnastics to the NCAA ranks.
Interest in the sport typically peaks during the Olympics.
The 2024 Olympic women’s gymnastics team final averaged 12.7 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, more than any single game of the 2024 NBA Finals or the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, per Yahoo Sports.
Meanwhile, the 2026 NCAA women’s gymnastics championship finals averaged around 1.1 million viewers. Standard regular-season meets across all ESPN platforms this season averaged between 200,000-300,000 live viewers, according to Sports Business Journal.
“The goal is going to be to bring those fans in every single year,” Roberson said. “Not just the Olympic year, and show them that NCAA gymnastics is just as fun and just as exciting and competitive as the Olympics.”
Roberson, who was an alternate for the gold medal winning 2024 team that included Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, Hezly Rivera, Jade Carey and Suni Lee, had an established relationship with Georgia coach Cécile Canqueteau-Landi and associate head coach Laurent Landi, having trained with the Landis at World Champions Centre in Houston three years prior.
Roberson announced on April 27 that she would be entering the transfer portal after a stellar two years at Arkansas, including 23 scores of 9.900 or better and getting the Razorbacks back to the NCAA Championships this year for the first time since 2024.
The Texarkana, Texas, native also became the first athlete to execute the most difficult collegiate vault in NCAA action, the Mustafina — named after Russian gymnast Aliya Mustafina — where she scored a 9.775 against Missouri during the 2026 campaign.
Despite the success, Roberson found herself wanting a change.
“The whole week of me trying to transfer was crazy, because Arkansas didn’t want to let me go,” Roberson said. “ … I finally put my foot down, and I was like, ‘Hey guys, I’m sorry, but I have to try and make my situation better for myself.’ That’s when I realized how bad my mental health had been at Arkansas.”
She described the situation as like “trying to fit a square into a circle,” and immediately felt a sense of relief when she declared for the portal.
After taking visits to schools, she narrowed her final choices to UCLA, Florida and Georgia.
On May 21, she announced that she would be a Bulldog.
“Joscelyn brings so much talent, leadership, and positivity to a team,” Canqueteau-Landi said in a statement. “Being reunited with her means a lot, and I’m excited to work together again to help her and the Georgia GymDogs continue reaching new heights.”
Upon arriving in Athens, Roberson fell in love with the school, the team and the community. She believes this is the school that can also help her not only get back, but participate in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
“It already feels so much more like home because it feels so similar to Texas, and I felt like that’s what I really needed,” she said.
Roberson also noted that she was looking for a school with a unique — and timely — element.
“I really wanted the school to be good at baseball,” Roberson said. “ … And Georgia is great at baseball.”
About the Author
Hunter DeLauder joined the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in May of 2026 as a sports intern. He recently graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Journalism, specializing in sports media. During his time there, he covered UF athletics for 247 Sports, On3, ESPN 98.1 FM and 850 AM WRUF, as well as the Independent Florida Alligator.
