Former Arkansas standout Joscelyn Roberson is heading to Georgia. The two-time All-American announced her transfer to the GymDogs on Thursday.

Her decision came down to three schools — Georgia, Florida and UCLA. She visited all three before making her final call.

So why did she pick Georgia? For Roberson, it just felt right.

"The reason I chose Georgia is because I felt like it was a good mix of all of the schools," Roberson told Gymnastics Now. "I had the relationships I wanted. I had the coaching I wanted. I had the academics… I just loved it."

She also said the campus had a special feel to it. "When I was there, I couldn't really explain it, but it just felt like I felt relaxed, and I felt like, 'Okay, this is where I'm meant to be.'"

Her entry into the transfer portal shocked many in the gymnastics world. But Roberson had been thinking about it for a while.

She first thought about transferring at the start of the 2026 season. But she backed off the idea "because I love Arkansas so much."

Right after nationals in mid-April, she finally made up her mind. She also made it clear that her Arkansas coaches were not the reason for the move.

"I know a lot of people think that, but that was not the reason at all," she said.

Many people assumed she would end up at Georgia all along. The team's new associate head coach, Laurent Landi, is one of her former club coaches.

But Roberson insists she gave Florida and UCLA a fair chance. She even had brief talks with LSU before it "fizzled out."

"That's why I took visits, because it wasn't a done deal that I was going to go to Georgia," she admitted.

Her checklist had a few key things on it. She did not want to deal with a totally new coaching staff, so she only looked at programs she already had ties to.

Good academics were also a must. Roberson is an exercise science major and plans to go to medical school.

The other big factor was strong relationships with the team. All three of her finalists ticked that box.

LSU got cut for one main reason. Roberson felt her elite gymnastics goals would take a backseat there.

Championship Dreams and Olympic Goals

Roberson has her sights set on something huge — the 2028 LA Olympics. She still has two years of NCAA eligibility, and that timeline lines up perfectly.

She was an alternate for the 2024 Olympic team in Paris. Now, she gets another shot with the coaches who helped her get there in the first place.

"My main goal is to get a national championship, and then go to the Olympics," Roberson said.

She is in good shape on the elite front too. Last fall, she won her first individual world medal with a bronze on vault.

She also won gold with the U.S. team at the 2023 World Championships. She remains on the national team heading into next year.

But she will not compete in elite this season. Instead, she is taking a break to heal up from nagging ankle injuries and a foot injury she picked up at nationals last month.

"The goal is to train elite this year, but not to compete because I really want to get healthy," she said. "I want to take a small break, and I decided that if there was a year to take a break, it would be this one."

Georgia should benefit from her arrival right away. Roberson is a strong all-arounder with big routines on beam and floor — and beam was the team's weakness in 2026.

The GymDogs just finished in the top six for the first time since 2016. With Roberson now in the mix, the program looks ready to climb even higher.

"We'll hit the ground heavy and running next year for Worlds, and then the Olympics," she said. For now, Georgia is the next stop on her journey to NCAA and Olympic glory.

Read more at the Gymnastics Digest!

Written by

Sahil Prashar

Edited by

Sahil Prashar