National Signing Day: Penn State Secures No. 1 Class, Navy/Air Force Score Big Commits, Stanford Adds More Talent
National Signing Day is here college gymnastics fans, and that means another season is on the horizon. Last season the Stanford squad made history by ending OU’s historic win streak to capture their first NCAA title since 2011. Now the Cardinal appears to be capitalizing on that success, ranking No. 2 in CGA’s list of the top recruiting classes of 2020, behind Penn State.
Below you’ll find a list of the top-25 recruits ranked from three stars to five, and their respective schools that they’ve signed with. You’ll also see a list of the top-five recruits on each event and each program ranked according to their recruiting haul.
Note: Our information is unofficial and based on verbal commitments made public by recruits or the schools to which they’ve committed. We will update this article as more information becomes available.
Colt Walker - Stanford (5 ⭐)
2. Evgeny Siminiuc - Michigan (5 ⭐)
3. Michael Jaroh - Penn State (5 ⭐)
4. Ethan Dick - Penn State (5 ⭐)
5. Isaiah Drake - Navy (5 ⭐)
6. Garrett Braunton - Air Force (4.5 ⭐)
7. Josh Cook - Illinois (4.5 ⭐)
8. Taylor Christopulos - Nebraska (4.5 ⭐)
9. Brandon Nguyen - Stanford (4.5 ⭐)
10. Andres Perez - Penn State (4.5 ⭐)
11. Jeremy Bischoff - Stanford (4 ⭐)
12. Will Hauke - Illinois (4 ⭐)
13. Matthew Cormier - Penn State (4 ⭐)
14. Logan Myers - Illinois (4 ⭐)
15. Colin Wingrove - Penn State (4 ⭐)
16. Sebastian Ingersoll - Illinois (3.5 ⭐)
17. Evan Ng - Minnesota (3.5 ⭐)
18. Michael Kogan - Iowa (3.5 ⭐)
19. Javier Alfonso - Michigan (3.5 ⭐)
20. Ethan Boder - Illinois (3.5 ⭐)
21. Yan Inhaber-Courchesne - Illinois (3 ⭐)
22. Daniel Simmons - Oklahoma (3 ⭐)
23. Zachary Nunez - Oklahoma (3 ⭐)
24. Noah Giordano - Oklahoma (3 ⭐)
25. Kameron Nelson - Ohio State (3 ⭐)
Top-5 Recruits by Event
Floor Exercise
Colt Walker (Stanford)
Brandon Nguyen (Stanford)
Matthew Cormier (Penn State)
Garrett Branton (Air Force)
Taylor Christopulos (Nebraska)
Pommel Horse
Evgeny Siminiuc (Michigan)
Michael Jaroh (Penn State)
Brandon Campbell (Penn State)
Sebastian Ingersoll (Illinois)
Lucas Lorber
Still Rings
Colt Walker (Stanford)
Isaiah Drake (Navy)
Garrett Braunton (Air Force)
Josh Cook (Illinois)
Evgeny Siminiuc (Michigan)
Vault
Colt Walker (Stanford)
Isaiah Drake (Navy)
Brandon Nguyen (Stanford)
Colin Wingrove (Penn State)
Michael Jaroh (Penn State)
Parallel Bars
Colt Walker (Stanford)
Ethan Dick (Penn State)
Evgeny Siminiuc (Michigan)
Andres Perez (Penn State)
Michael Jaroh (Penn State)
Horizontal Bar
Brandon Nguyen (Stanford)
Evgeny Siminiuc (Michigan)
Josh Cook (Illinois)
Michael Jaroh (Penn State)
Will Hauke (Illinois)
Team Breakdowns
(1) Penn State - Coach Randy Jepson and his staff have shocked the country, pulling in the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation. Penn State has traditionally struggled to attract top names and has relied on their ability to develop some of the lesser-touted talent. The Nittany Lions are going to be a team that nobody will look forward to facing, with this class anchoring their roster for the next four years. Michael Jaroh and Ethan Dick headline the group, two five-star recruits who are more than capable of filling in the hole that will be left by the departure of Sam Zakutney. What makes this class special beyond the two big names at the top is the depth; Penn State has five recruits ranked in top-15. While it is nearly impossible to replace Stephen Nedoroscik, it will be Brandon Campbell who will try to do so as the No. 3-ranked pommel horse worker in the country.
38.8k Likes, 763 Comments - Michael Jaroh (@michaeljaroh) on Instagram: "I'm beyond excited to announce I have verbally committed to Penn State University! Can't wait to..."
(2) Stanford - Dethroning OU to win NCAAs probably made recruiting a lot easier for Thom Glielmi and the Cardinal this year. Stanford’s class of three recruits is led by Colt Walker, the defending U.S. junior champion who’s expected to make an immediate impact in the all around. Joining Walker are Brandon Nguyen and Jeremy Bischoff. Nguyen should make a big contribution on floor and vault, and Bischoff is solid all around. Stanford’s impressive 2020 class will add more talent to an already strong young roster that includes freshmen Brandon Briones and Riley Loos.
599 Likes, 111 Comments - Brandon (@_brandon_nguyen) on Instagram: "I am very excited and humbled to announce my verbal commitment to Stanford University🌲. Big thanks..."
(3) Illinois - Justin Spring and Daniel Ribeiro almost always find themselves landing one of the top recruiting classes in the nation. This was not their best performance, but they were still able to land seven recruits in the top-25. Missing out on the highly coveted five-star recruits can hurt, but the Illini still walk away with an excellent group. Josh Cook will lead this class as the No. 7 recruit, but the talent goes much deeper than just one guy. The 21st-ranked recruit, Yan Inhaber, could thrive in a new environment.
381 Likes, 93 Comments - Yan Inhaber-Courchesne (@yaninhaber) on Instagram: "So proud to announce that i've committed to the university of illinois! Can't wait for the best..."
(4) Michigan - After a fourth place finish at last season’s NCAA Championships, Michigan was able to snag one of this year’s top recruits: Evgeny Siminiuc, a Canadian gymnast who’s coming off an all around win at the 2019 Elite Canada meet and a ninth-place finish in the all around at this year’s Junior World Championships in Hungary. The Wolverines also inked Javier Alfonso, who’s expected to contribute big on vault and parallel bars, and Edward Yao. Michigan has seven seniors on the roster, which means these three recruits will be tasked with filling out much of the lineup spots the 2020 class is set to vacate.
324 Likes, 66 Comments - Evgeny Siminiuc (@e_siminiuc) on Instagram: "I have verbally committed to the University of Michigan! Real B1G things comin up with @umichgym 〽️..."
(5) Nebraska - The Cornhuskers will lose Jake Bonnay and Josh Martin after this season but pick up a big name in Taylor Christopulos. The four-and-a-half-star recruit will join a program that has risen back into the fold as one of the top teams in the country over the past few years. Christopulos will fit right into the Nebraska culture where he is likely to continue to excel as one of the top floor guys in the country. Yanni Chronopoulus and Travis Wong will also make a new home in Lincoln, two guys with a ton of potential to excel in years to come.
505 Likes, 86 Comments - Travis Wong (@travis.wongz) on Instagram: "Happy to announce that I verbally committed to the university of Nebraska! #GBR #husker"
(6) Navy - Navy emerged as the dominant Academy team last season after fending off Army at ECACs and Air Force throughout the season. Now the Midshipmen add to last season’s momentum by signing Isaiah Drake, one of the nation’s top recruits who nabbed a ring title at the 2019 U.S. Championships in the 15-16 division. The Midshipmen also nabbed Syam Buradagunta, Erik Engelke and Caleb Hickey. Navy is a team on the rise, and the addition of Drake is a sign that others are starting to notice.
1,376 Likes, 203 Comments - @isaiah_drak.e on Instagram: "Happy to announce my verbal commitment to the United States Naval Academy. I want to thank my..."
(7) Air Force - Josh Loeser was hired as the head coach of Air Force men’s gymnastics on Aug. 8, 2019. Now, just three months later, he lands the No. 6 recruit in the country. Not bad. Garrett Braunton will join the Falcons in 2020 as the most highly-touted recruit to join the team since Timothy Wang in 2014. Braunton will make an immediate impact for Air Force and is the kind of talent that could lead them to a finals appearance at NCAAs. The Falcons also picked up Patrick Hoopes and Oliver Zavela.
527 Likes, 68 Comments - Garrett Braunton (@garrettjbraunton) on Instagram: "Super excited to announce my verbal commitment to the United States Air Force Academy! Can't wait..."
(8) Oklahoma - As we all know, OU’s legendary win streak came to an end at last year’s NCAA championships. The Sooners graduated a fantastic class of seniors who had but one L on their records at the end of last season. The process of building on that class’s success begins this coming season, but it will soon be aided by OU’s latest class of recruits, which includes Daniel Simmons, Zach Nunez, Noah Giordano and Tyler Selvaggi. OU will graduate three in 2020 — most notably Tanner Justus, who sadly won’t be competing this season after a congenital defect was discovered in his back — and these four recruits will be asked to help forge a new era of OU gymnastics, the beginnings of which we’ll get to see in a couple months. That’s no easy task.
694 Likes, 75 Comments - Daniel Simmons (@daniel_simmons101) on Instagram: "Extremely excited to announce that I have verbally committed to The University of Oklahoma! Can't..."
(9) Minnesota - Minnesota picked up Evan Ng of Chicago’s Lakeshore Academy after entering recruiting season with a mixed record from 2019 to show. Ng is expected to help Minnesota on vault and rings, and he’ll fill the spot Timmy Kutyla, the squad’s lone senior, is set to leave open after he graduates next spring.
I'm so excited to announce that I have verbally committed to the University of Minnesota!〽️ #skiumah
442 Likes, 156 Comments - Evan Ng (@_evanng_) on Instagram: "I'm so excited to announce that I have verbally committed to the University of Minnesota!〽️ #skiumah"
(10) Iowa - The Hawkeyes will lose a solid trio in Mitchell Mandozzi, Nicholas Merryman and Andrew Herrador after this season ends in Ann Arbor. To replace these seniors, JD Reive and staff bring in Mikey Kogan, Kyden Martinez and Zac Tiderman. Kogan, a three-and-a-half-star recruit, brings a lot of potential to a team that had tremendous regular season success last year. Tiderman will bolster Iowa’s vault lineup immediately with his very clean Yurchenko double full.
978 Likes, 231 Comments - Michael Kogan (@mikey.kogan) on Instagram: "I'm super excited to announce that I have verbally committed to the University of Iowa where I will..."
(11) Ohio State - Ohio State finished eighth at NCAAs last season with a relatively young roster — the Buckeyes will only graduate one in 2020. Signing with OSU to add to the team’s young pool of talent are Kameron Nelson, who’s expected to be an immediate contender on floor and vault, Jadon Roberson and Tyler Rockwood.
449 Likes, 128 Comments - Jadon Roberson (@jadonroberson) on Instagram: "I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to The Ohio State University! I am very thankful..."
(12) Cal - The Golden Bears have scored commits from Collin Cunane, Noah Neufeld and David Rauchwerger — three guys who will be asked to step in for the five seniors expected to graduate from Cal in the spring.
846 Likes, 217 Comments - Collin Cunane (@collin_cunane) on Instagram: "Excited to announce that I have verbally committed to the University of California Berkeley! I..."
(13) Arizona State - Arizona State inked Jack Bono out of Ohio’s International Gymnastics.
1,955 Likes, 250 Comments - Jack💔 (@jackbono02) on Instagram: "I'm beyond excited to announce I have verbally committed to Arizona State University!!! Can't wait..."
Note: Unable to gather information on Army, Springfield, Temple, UIC, William & Mary and Washington.