Auburn University and head coach Jeff Graba have “mutually agreed to part ways” after 16 seasons, Auburn’s athletic director John Cohen announced Monday.

“We thank Coach Graba for his leadership over the past 16 seasons and wish him the best moving forward,” Cohen said. “Jeff oversaw a period of significant growth in all areas of the gymnastics program while developing outstanding Auburn women.”

Graba led the Tigers to 14 regional appearances and three NCAA championship appearances, including the 2022 Four on the Floor and 2015 Super Six.

“I want to thank Auburn University for taking a chance on me 16 years ago,” Graba said. “Being at the helm of this program has been an honor and it has been a privilege to coach this team. I am proud of the opportunity our coaching staff has had to help our student-athletes achieve their goals and dreams – whether it be competing in the Olympics, or for an SEC or National Championship. Thank you Auburn for welcoming the Graba family and giving Bridget and me the chance to raise our family here in Auburn – including two daughters receiving Auburn University degrees.”

The Tigers finished the 2026 season last in the SEC before being eliminated in Round 2 of the NCAA tournament last week. Their final national ranking – 25th – is the lowest for the Tigers in a non-COVID season since 2006. (The Tigers finished 35th in the COVID-shortened 2021 season.)

Graba was hired in August 2010. He led the Tigers to the best season in program history in 2022 – just four seasons ago. That team made it to the NCAA team final, ultimately finishing fourth. Graba’s top recruit in his tenure, Olympic gold medalist Sunisa Lee, was the star of the team from 2022-2023 and spurned a boom in attendance at home meets and general interest in the program. Lee won the 2022 NCAA beam title and was the runner-up in the all-around.

Since the fourth place finish in 2022, the Tigers haven’t been able to sustain that success. Lee was sidelined for the latter part of the 2023 season with an unspecified rare kidney disease that led her to end her season early. She had previously announced that her sophomore season would be her last with the Tigers as she pursued the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The Tigers finished 24th in 2023, 20th in 2024, and 11th in 2025.

The SEC is the dominant conference in NCAA women’s gymnastics. While the 2026 postseason is still playing out, seven of the top 11 teams are from the conference. Only Auburn and No. 18 Kentucky sit on the outside.

Auburn will begin its search for a new head coach immediately.