Just a few days after Georgia recorded its best national finish since 2016, the GymDogs’ co-head coach Ryan Roberts has been named the next head coach of the Auburn gymnastics team, the Tigers announced Tuesday.

Roberts has spent the past eight years coaching within the league. He spent two years as the co-head coach with Cecile Canqueteau-Landi at Georgia after two years as an assistant coach with the program. Prior to that, he did a four-year stint as an assistant coach with Alabama.

“I want to thank President Roberts, John Cohen and the search committee for this incredible opportunity and the trust to guide this program,” Roberts said in a press release. “My family and I are thrilled to now be a part of Auburn Family and have the chance to invest in this incredible community. I am very much looking forward to leading this team and working with these student-athletes and can’t wait to get to work. War Eagle!”

READ MORE: Cecile Canqueteau-Landi, Ryan Roberts have Georgia GymDogs eyeing return to top

Roberts is known for his recruiting prowess. Back in 2022, when Roberts – then Alabama’s bars coach – was hired at Georgia, five-star Lily Smith switched commitments from the Tide to the Dawgs.

The GymDogs just finished the 2026 season as the No. 6 team in the country after making their first appearance at the national semifinals since 2019 – a marked improvement in just two years under Roberts and Canqueteau-Landi.

While possibly surprising for some after the immediate success the co-head coaches had at Georgia, it isn’t surprising Roberts took the opportunity to be the sole head coach at an SEC program.

The SEC is the dominant conference in NCAA gymnastics, having three of the final four teams in Saturday’s Four on the Floor and five of the eight teams in the semifinals. All nine SEC teams made the NCAA tournament.

Contract details will be made available in due time, but Roberts is likely to see a pay increase with the move as well. Despite being co-head coaches, Canqueteau-Landi made $75,000 more in annual base salary than Roberts at Georgia – $340,000 to $265,000 – per College Gym News.

Canqueteau-Landi making more than Roberts wasn’t surprising. When Georgia made the landmark hire in 2024, and promoted Roberts in the process, Canqueteau-Landi already had proven success at the elite level despite never having coached in the NCAA. She would go on to coach Simone Biles to three gold medals and one silver at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Roberts and Canqueteau-Landi were the dynamic duo for the past two seasons at Georgia, seemingly playing to their strengths to catapult the GymDogs back into national contention. Now both coaches will get the chance to spread their wings independent of one another.