National Signing Day: Stanford Lands No. 1 Class
National Signing Day always ushers in another exciting season of NCAA gymnastics, but this year’s signing period carried extra importance: It came as a welcome bit of normalcy and hope during a rough time for the gymnastics community. The guys who committed to compete for these teams will shape the future of the sport at the collegiate level, and in a year of so much uncertainty, this much is clear: NCAA men’s gymnastics will feature athletes as talented as ever.
Defending NCAA champion Stanford managed to haul in the top recruiting class of 2021, with Taylor Burkhart, Khoi Young, and Nick Kubler leading the group of commits. The rival OU squad wasn’t too far behind, though. Below you’ll find a list of the top 25 recruits ranked from five stars to three. You’ll also find a ranking of the top 10 recruiting classes of 2021 and a breakdown of how each of those teams fared this signing period.
Taylor Burkhart - Stanford - 5 star
Khoi Young - Stanford - 5 star
Fuzzy Benas - OU - 5 star
Nick Kubler - Stanford - 4.5 star
Ian Lasic-Ellis - Stanford - 4.5 star
Raydel Gamboa - OU - 4.5 star
Josh Karnes - Penn State - 4.5 star
Donte McKinney - Nebraska - 4.5 star
Joey Pepe - Nebraska - 4.5 star
Luke McFarland - Stanford - 4.5 star
Emre Dodanli - OU - 4 star
Jasper Smith-Gordon - Cal - 4 star
Rithik Puri - Michigan - 4 star
Travis Wong - Nebraska - 4 star
Chris Hiser - Nebraska - 4 star
Mark Berlaga - Stanford - 3.5 star
Matthew Browne - Springfield - 3.5 star
Marcel Aguirre - Air Force - 3.5 star
David Wolma - Michigan - 3.5 star
Nikolai Kolesnikov - OU - 3.5 star
Vishal Mandava - Navy - 3.5 star
Tyler Shimizu - Cal - 3 star
Noah Pace - Army - 3 star
Noah Dhaliwal - Springfield - 3 star
Ray Bridges - Springfield - 3 star
Team Breakdowns:
1. Stanford
Coming off a strong 2020 season, coach Thom Glielmi was able to pull in the No. 1 recruiting class. The Cardinal are bringing in six recruits, five of whom are current or former junior national team members. Topping the class is Taylor Burkhart, the defending U.S. junior champion, and Khoi Young, the 2019 U.S. junior pommel horse champion and floor exercise runner up. Joining Burkhart and Young is Mark Berlaga, Nick Kuebler, Ian Lasic-Ellis, and Luke McFarland. This talented class will add to an already competitive Cardinal roster, which will include Brody Malone and Brandon Briones. It’s safe to say the Stanford Cardinal will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.
2. Oklahoma
The Sooners have again done well to build out their roster after the end of their reign at the top of NCAA gymnastics, coming in with the No. 2 class. This year, Oklahoma signed four gymnasts who landed in the top 25: Fuzzy Benas, Raydel Gamboa, Emre Dodaanli, and Nikolai Kolesnikov. The four will add depth on all six events but especially on floor and vault, where Benas, Gamboa, and Dodaanli are expected to stand out. The Sooners’ weak points last season were horse and rings, so these four guys will also be tasked with improving Oklahoma’s lineup on those events. OU’s recruiting class helps keep the team competitive with Stanford, who they jockeyed with all throughout 2020 and who they will look to challenge once again this season.
3. Nebraska
A brand new, state-of-the-art facility helped the Cornhuskers pull in some of the top recruits in the country this signing period. Nebraska will lose six seniors after this season, a powerful class that delivered results for this team. Chuck Chmelka and staff managed to replace them with two four-star and two four-and-a-half star recruits, including the impressive Minnesota transfer Donte McKinney.
4. Penn State
After making a splash in last year’s recruiting cycle, Penn State bolsters their roster once again with the signing of Josh Karnes. The Pennsylvania native will immediately make an impact on the scoreboard, being a seasoned competitor who has had a very impressive junior career.
5. Cal Berkeley
Coach JT Okada was able to sign a pair of top 25 recruits. The Golden Bears can expect 12th-ranked recruit Jasper Smith-Gordan to make an immediate impact on their floor and vault line-ups, and Tyler Shimizu to add depth to the Cal roster in the all-around.
6. Michigan
The Wolverines land No. 6 with a couple of recruits in the top 25 who will help the team battle in the Big Ten conference. Rithik Puri and David Wolma will both add talent on all six and allow Michigan to gain ground on rings, vault and floor, their weaker events last season. The Wolverines were having a strong season in 2020 and secured a top-5 recruiting class last time around, so Michigan’s chances of staying toward the top of Big Ten and in contention for an NCAA title over the next few years remain high.
7. Springfield
Head Coach Matt Davis brought in an impressive haul for Springfield, landing three recruits in the top 25. The class is led by the three-and-a-half star recruit Matthew Browne, a Georgia native who will slot right into multiple lineups and be quickly recognized as a big roster addition.
8. Air Force
The Falcons secured three-and-a-half star recruit Marcel Aguirre for 2021 in another solid signing period for Josh Loeser, who’s in his second season as head coach. Aguirre is particularly strong on floor, horse and parallel bars and should help the Falcons compete for a spot in the NCAA finals in the next few years. Loeser turned heads last year after signing the No. 1 recruit of 2020, Garrett Braunton, so with the addition of Aguirre the Falcons have a solid stable of young talent to build off of.
9. Navy
Kip Simons and staff have proven to be consistent recruiters over the past few years. 2020 was no different, as they landed the 21st-ranked recruit in the country, Vishal Mandava. He will be a nice addition to a roster that keeps getting better the further into Simon’s tenure we get.
10. Army
The Black Knights round out the top 10 after signing three-star recruit Noah Pace of SIGS. A high bar standout, Pace will join a talented young roster at Army and help advance the Black Knights’ mission to stay in the NCAA Championships, contend for a conference championship, and, most importantly, beat Navy.