Former Arkansas standout Joscelyn Roberson announced Thursday that she is transferring to Georgia.

Roberson’s decision came down to the GymDogs, Florida, and UCLA – the three schools she visited.

“The reason I chose Georgia is because I felt like it was a good mix of all of the schools,” Roberson told Gymnastics Now ahead of her announcement on Thursday. “I had the relationships I wanted. I had the coaching I wanted. I had the academics… I just loved it. And then it just felt more comfortable to me. 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.’”

Roberson’s entrance into the transfer portal initially shocked the gymnastics world, but it’s something she was considering for a while. She had initially decided to transfer at the start of the 2026 season but backed off the idea – “because I love Arkansas so much” – but right after nationals in mid-April she decided it was time.

Roberson emphasized that her decision was not because of the Arkansas coaches – “I know a lot of people think that, but that was not the reason at all.”

The immediate assumption once the dust settled was that Roberson was heading to Athens, reuniting with her former club coaches Cecile Canqueteau-Landi and Laurent Landi – the latter of whom was just announced as the team’s associate head coach last week.

But Roberson said she gave both the Gators and Bruins a fair shake and could’ve seen herself at either school. She also briefly talked 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,” Roberson admitted before sharing her requirements for her new college home.

The first requirement was she didn’t want to get to know a completely new staff, “so I went to schools that I had already built that relationship from either recruiting the first time or going to camps and just being around them.”

Another requirement was good academics since the exercise science major is planning to go to medical school. Florida and UCLA both have med schools, and Georgia is opening one this year.

And then there’s the big one: “Good, stable relationships with girls on the team.”

All three schools checked that box, giving her the chance to reunite with former World Champions Centre teammates and elite friends no matter where she went.

You might be asking: “But what about training elite? What about the Olympics?”

That was on the list too.

“It’s not just like where elite can be done,” Roberson said. “I wanted it to be celebrated and encouraged.”

That’s why Roberson eliminated LSU from the mix. She felt like her elite goals would take a backseat if she chose the Tigers.

Roberson is at a unique crossroads in her career. While she has two years of eligibility left, it’s what lies at the end of those two years that is probably the most enticing prospect of her career: the 2028 LA Olympic Games.

Two years ago, Roberson was still training at World Champions Centre with the Landis when she was named an alternate for the 2024 Olympic team. She was right there… but it wasn’t her only chance.

Now she has the opportunity to do it again – and with the coaches who helped her get in contention in the first place. All while still competing in the NCAA.

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

The historically-dominant GymDogs just finished ranked in the top six for the first time since 2016 and have been on the rise since Canqueteau-Landi joined the team after the Paris Games in 2024.

Roberson is a two-time All-American and a strong all-arounder, with particular strengths on beam – Georgia’s statistical weakness in 2026 – and floor. She should be an immediate contributor for the Bulldogs – she hopes in the all-around – and will add another knockout routine to the No. 3 floor lineup in the nation.

On the elite front, Roberson is still on the national team, but she doesn’t plan to compete this season, instead opting for a break. That will also allow her body to heal from ankle injuries that have nagged her since last year, as well as a foot injury she sustained at nationals.

“The next few months look like me just getting to my school, getting to Georgia, settling in, kind of getting back on Cecile’s training program, and figuring out how they work at Georgia.

“The goal is to train elite this year, but not to compete because I really want to get healthy. One, because my ankles were an issue last year, and then my ankles are still an issue, plus my foot now.

“So, 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.”

Last fall, Roberson earned the first individual world medal of her career with a bronze on vault. She also won gold with the U.S. team at the 2023 World Championships. She’s absolutely in the mix for LA, especially if she’s 100%.

“We’ll hit the ground heavy and running next year for Worlds, and then the Olympics. [This year,] I’ll train elite, I just won’t compete it, and then I’ll go into the NCAA season.”

While she saw success under the tutelage of Arkansas’ Chris Brooks, Roberson’s long-term vision has brought her to a new, but familiar, home away from home.

Georgia is no longer on Joscelyn Roberson’s mind – it’s the next stop on her journey to making her NCAA and Olympic dreams come true.