• An NCAA rule passed in June will eliminate redshirts and injury waivers in most cases and create a standard five-year eligibility period for all athletes. Eligibility will begin when they enroll in college or the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever comes first.
• Under the previous regime, gymnasts hoping to qualify for the Olympics frequently spent time away from college during the two years preceding the games while maintaining eligibility.
• With the rules taking full effect in 2027, this year's freshman class may be the last to prioritize Olympic preparation without seriously sacrificing their college eligibility.

Many NCAA gymnasts are Olympic hopefuls, and some even sit out a year to prepare for the games. UCLA Alumna Jordan Chiles and Florida’s Skye Blakley did so for Paris and lost no eligibility. That is no longer possible.

In June, the NCAA passed a new eligibility rule that eliminates redshirts and medical waivers. Athletes now have a five-year window. The clock begins when they enroll full-time or at the start of the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever comes first. This period runs continuously, but pauses when a student is on a religious mission, on military service, or becomes pregnant.

If a gymnast decides to defer from college for the LA Games, they will lose two years of eligibility with no mechanism to regain them. However, the rule does not take full effect until 2027 to the great benefit of incoming freshmen. If incoming freshmen defer for the Olympics before the rule takes effect, they will only lose one year of eligibility, with their 5 years beginning the school year after they turn 19. Some gymnasts have taken advantage of this and announced their intentions to defer enrollment to prepare for the games.

Dulcy Caylor was the first gymnast to declare that she is deferring her enrollment in November 2025, seven months before the

new eligibility rule passed. In an Instagram post, the future Florida Gator said she will continue her training in Spring, Texas, at the World Champions Centre.

If you watched the 2024 U.S. Olympic trials, then you might be familiar with Hezly Rivera. At 16 years old, she tied for first on the balance beam and finished fifth in the all-around, which guaranteed her spot on the Olympic team. At Paris, she competed on the balance beam and uneven bars during the qualification rounds. She walked away with a team final gold despite not competing in the team final event.

Two years later, Rivera is training to make another Olympic team. Committed to LSU, she plans to continue training at her hometown gym, World Olympic Gymnastics Academy, for two years and will enroll after the games.

Tatum Drusch, another future LSU Tiger, plans to defer and will not lose any eligibility due to her 19th birthday in November 2027. Tatum told Inside Gymnastics that her goal is to compete in the all-around at the Olympics, or compete on beam or bars if she fails to qualify in the all-around. Drusch won the all-around in the American Classic over Jade Carey in June of 2016.

Florida signee Jayla Hang will train for the Olympics at Pacific Reign, the same gym where UCLA alumna Katlyn Ohashi is training for her comeback. Also training at Pacific Reign is future Utah Ute Madison Denlinger, who is herself deferring to focus on non-collegiate competitions. Unlike the other athletes, Denlinger must focus on more than just the Olympics.

Every gymnast deferring has achieved senior Elite status, except for Denlinger. Athletes need this qualification to make an Olympic team, as it is the highest level of gymnastics in the United States. Gymnasts must qualify in an Elite Compulsory meet and then score a certain threshold at an Elite Optional or National Qualifier meet to be considered Elite. There have been two qualifier meets this year, and a total of four out of 29 gymnasts have met the criteria to move up.

Denlinger has plans to make the leap. She competed and qualified in an Elite Compulsory meet and has yet to compete in an Optional or National Qualifier meet. In the meantime, she has been training her Elite skills.

Future Ute Madison Denlinger is deferring her enrollment to pursue Elite status before the Olympics

One thing all of these gymnasts have in common is the pursuit of a spot on the US Olympic team. The numbers change every Olympic quad, but between 12 and 19 gymnasts compete in the U.S. Olympic trials. There are five spots up for grabs on the team, two spots for traveling replacements and up to three for non-traveling replacements.

At the time of publication, the only deferral from an international gymnast has come from future Utah Ute Gabrielle Black. Black won team silver with Canada at the Commonwealth Games and is looking to make the Canadian Olympic team after failing to qualify for the team in 2024.

Now that the school year has begun, we probably will not see any more deferrals. The new eligibility rule eliminates Olympic redshirt waivers, so this was the best time for freshmen who aspire to compete at the next games to defer from college.

As of right now, six gymnasts are taking a risk to chase after their Olympic aspirations. The U.S. Olympic Trials will take place in Louisville, KY, from June 16-19 in 2028, and we might see them get one step closer to living out their dream.