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The collegiate gymnastics world is buzzing with more than just talk of meet results and individual performances. The gossip channels were hot too as news of UCLA gymnast Alexis Jeffrey taking the unusual step of entering the transfer portal just weeks into the 2022 season.
Jeffrey has enrolled at LSU and has joined the team as a walk-on, according to LSU coach Jay Clark in a report by The Advocate newspaper. Clark told the Advocate Jeffrey is expected to compete this season. Neither UCLA coach Chris Waller nor LSU has commented more on the transfer, but some UCLA gymnasts took to Twitter to ask UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond to address the coaches on the matter.
Utah competes at No. 24 UCLA on Feb. 4 and at No. 6 LSU on March 11. But the Utes are watching this situation not only because it involves future opponents, but because of the potential impact such transfers could have on teams nationally.
According to the NCAA one-time transfer exception rules, an athlete can seek immediate transfer eligibility if he/she is transferring from a four-year college to a NCAA Division I school, is academically eligible, has not transferred previously from another four-year school and certifies in writing he/she did not have direct or indirect communication with the new school’s athletic staff.
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Additionally, a student-athlete must provide their current school with a written request to enter the transfer portal by July 1 to use the one-time exception.
Jeffrey participated in UCLA’s exhibition meet in December but left the team before competing in an actual meet, apparently leading to the belief she would be eligible for the Tigers. LSU has yet to put out a statement on the matter.
For gymnastics, immediate eligibility such as in the case of Jeffrey can have a huge impact on a team because of the individual nature of the sport.
There isn’t the learning curve of becoming familiar with a team’s offense or defense, your routine is your routine and changing to another school shouldn’t affect it.
However, Utah gymnastics coach Tom Farden doesn’t think it will become a popular trend because gymnasts don’t have as many possibilities for professional athletic careers awaiting them as other sports such as football and basketball do.
“I don’t think it is going to be a route that many would take,” he said.
Utah has picked up just one gymnast since the transfer portal was put in use in October 2018, gaining Emilie LeBlanc from Maryland in 2019.
She contributed consistently on the bars and beam for the Utes.
“We had some needs to fill and it worked out well for us,” Farden said.
Despite the positive experience, Farden believes there is a great value in having an athlete for several seasons, pointing to the team building efforts the Utes and other programs have.
“There is always a goal of wanting to develop an athlete,” he said. “For me personally, why I got into this sport was to help develop athletes. You take someone like an Alexia Burch and see how they develop and that is satisfying.”
Even so, Farden does like the idea of the transfer portal, even if there are issues he feels need to be addressed.
“I think athletes should have the right to talk to other schools,” he said. “I don’t want to hold a kid back if they aren’t happy where they are. It’s my job to know what drives and motivates athletes and show genuine care that I am going to do my best to make things right.”
