The transfer portal chaos is winding down as summer practices get into full swing. While a few outlying names remain in play to potentially join a team, most of the high-profile names have announced their new destinations. To see who will join a new team in 2026, check our transfers database here. In this article, we will take a look at the winners and losers of this transfer cycle, and some teams that we’re keeping our eyes on as they prepare for the new season.
Winners
Non-Traditional Transfers
2025 saw several high-profile transfers from team to team, but everyone’s path is different and we saw that as well. Kyanna Crabb joins Oregon State after competing level 10 while at community college, and Adia Friesen comes to UC Davis after competing for Grand Canyon’s club team. Gabrielle Lamb comes to Bridgeport as a junior, and Payton Fullmer will join BYU after two seasons as Utah’s student manager. These stories are proof that while everyone’s journey is not the same, reaching the NCAA is an accomplishment, and we can’t wait to see how their journeys go.
Arkansas
Needing to replace several key routines from 2025, the Razorbacks added star power in former five-star recruits Madison Gustitus and Morgan Price. Gustitus was limited in her freshman season due to injury but was the top NQS score on beam for San Jose State. If healthy, she is likely to contribute on three events almost immediately. Price, a former Razorback commit, rewrote the history books for the recently-discontinued Fisk program and HBCU gymnastics as a whole. She will likely continue to do just that with her high-scoring routines; getting to do so alongside her sister is an added bonus.
Clemson
It has been a wild offseason if you are a Clemson fan. After Amy Smith’s termination and the hiring of the Howells from California, several recruits flipped commitments to join them in South Carolina. However, some immediate lineup contributors were needed and the Tigers got them in Paige Anastasi and Ella Cesario. Primarily a vaulter at UCLA, Anastasi has the potential to compete all four events, while Cesario arrives for a fifth year after three standout years competing all-around at Cal.
LSU
The Tigers are going to look incredibly different in 2026 after the graduation of some powerhouse athletes. While it managed to secure three fifth-year returnees and a sixth-year, the team needed an extra boost to replace Haleigh Bryant and Aleah Finnegan. Jay Clark responded by winning the race for Madison Ulrich, the highest-profile transfer this offseason. Clark also snagged commitments from Emily Innes, a Washington transfer who will be an extra depth piece for the Tigers, and Courtney Blackson, returning from retirement for her final year of eligibility.. Despite a different look, the Tigers look poised to make another championship run in 2026.
Ohio State
Ohio State has tested the waters in the transfer portal in recent seasons and this year, it secured a high-profile transfer in Natalie Martin. The former Maryland gymnast was among the team leaders in NQS on vault, beam, and floor; with beam a weaker event for Ohio State last season, Martin’s transfer should keep that lineup steady. The Buckeyes also added Sadie Jane Berry, a bars staple from Georgia. She was a regular contributor for the Bulldogs who should slot into the lineup spot left by the graduation of Sidney Washington.
Losers
Denver
After nationals, Denver was looking to the future as Madison Ulrich was set to lead the team after the graduation of some key seniors. However, head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart found herself not only rebuilding her coaching staff but her team as Ulrich’s transfer to LSU became top news of the offseason. The Pioneers managed to snag sophomore Addie Hewitt from the portal, but replacing Ulrich’s difficulty and experience is going to be a big task for them in 2026.
Georgia
Cecile Canqueteau-Landi finished her first season in the NCAA with a top 20 finish and all signs were pointing to that rise continuing in 2026. However, the Bulldogs lost three to the transfer portal this season, among them rising senior Naya Howard to Michigan State in what appears to be controversial circumstances. Georgia adds some solid freshmen routines, but they lack the competitive experience necessary for it to build on last season, at least right away.
Keep an Eye on…
California
The Golden Bears were already on the ropes with the transfer of eMjae Frazier to Florida. Losing the Howells to Clemson didn’t help. With several high-profile recruits switching their commitment and Cesario’s transfer for a fifth-year, newly named coach Geralen Stack-Eaton has a difficult task ahead of her with building her lineups with only three freshmen and no known transfers joining the program. Many fans will be keeping their eyes on the Bears this season.
Maryland
It might surprise a few to see the Terrapins here after signing the largest transfer class, but after losing Martin to the Buckeyes, there are a few questions that linger. Aine Reade will certainly head to the back of Maryland’s floor lineup after a breakout freshman season, but where will the others slot in? Can Reade and Megan Bingham provide all-around scores that Alexa Rothenbuescher did? Will Chelsey Dennis slot into Victoria Gatzendorfer’s spots on bars and beam? Alexis Czarrunchick did not compete for Georgia last season, so her contributions remain a mystery. Katrina Mendez Abolnik only vaulted in 2025 after an injury ended her 2024 season, but has competed all four events during her career. There’s a lot of talent on the roster, but how the staff chooses to manage it will be a big storyline for 2026.
Missouri
Last year’s Cinderella story of the NCAA championships took on three more transfers this offseason in Dakota Essenpries, Makayla Green, and Sara Wabi. Essenpries will likely be a consistent competitor on vault with her Yurchenko one and a half, but Green and Wabi’s contributions will be a bit harder to predict. Bars was one of the Tigers’ best events last season, but they lost three of their top-scoring routines. Green and Wabi can be heavy hitters in this lineup, but they will have to remain consistent to be lineup locks. Time will tell if the Tigers can replicate their magical season in 2026.
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Article by Savanna Wellman
Georgia did better in season but looked worse at both SECs and especially Regionals. The new final ranking format hid how well Georgia did in round 1 last year and how bad they did in round 1 this year.
That said – the Brooke Peirson flip from Clemson on top of the existing freshman class should really plug all their holes. I cannot imagine then not making a step forward this year.