2025 Men’s NCAA Preview Part 2

2025 Men’s NCAA Preview Part 2

by the Team at Inside Gymnastics

We talked to the head coaches of the NCAA’s top six teams to get the Inside scoop as the 2025 season gets underway with a new Code of Points in place and a freshly updated, four-up, four-count meet format. (Look for much more on that change here on InsideGym.com in the coming days!)

ESPN is returning to coverage of the NCAA Championships at the perfect time, just as men’s gymnastics is having a moment, thanks to Penn State alum Stephen Nedoroscik’s viral Paris performance and Dancing with the Stars success. Can collegiate gymnastics capitalize on Team USA’s Olympic bronze popularity, particularly with three members of that squad—Asher Hong (Stanford), Paul Juda (Michigan), and Frederick Richard (Michigan)—set to compete in college this year?

Today, we take a look at the teams currently ranked 1st, 2nd and 3rd — Stanford, Michigan and Oklahoma. For part 1 featuring Nebraska, Illinois, and Ohio State, Click Here!

STANFORD

Rank in 2024: 1st

2025 Pre-Season Rank: 1st

First Meet: January 13 at Berkeley, Cal Benefit Cup (Full Schedule: https://gostanford.com/sports/mens-gymnastics/schedule)

Inside Gym Outlook: In 2024, Stanford became just the second men’s team in NCAA history to win five consecutive titles, and they’d love to be the first-ever to claim six in a row. Making history is very real possibility given Stanford’s extremely deep bench of talent, which includes four current U.S. National Team members: Olympic medalist Asher Hong, Paris alternate Khoi Young, Jeremy Bischoff and Colt Walker. Fear the Tree, indeed.

Head Coach Thom Glielmi’s Take…

Key Athletes: “Asher Hong will play a significant role in helping us achieve our best possible score as his Start Value and execution continue to improve. Additionally, our seniors— Khoi Young, Taylor Burkhart, Jeremy Bischoff, Ian Lasic-Ellis and Brandon Nguyen—will be crucial, as they are experienced competitors who know what to expect in the postseason. Beyond that, it will be a competitive battle for the rest of the guys to secure spots in the lineup, especially with the shift to a 4-up, 4-count format. Under 5-up, 5-count, we had greater ability to create separation from other teams. With 4-up, the gap between teams will narrow.”

Secret Weapon: “I’m often wrong with these predictions, and I think most people already have a good sense of who our strong contenders are, so I do not think we have a secret weapon, other than a great coaching staff.”

2024 Reflection: “The key takeaway for us was to appreciate collegiate gymnastics. Competing at the NCAA level provides a tremendous advantage for athletes who move on to the international stage. Being able to compete with the guys you train with every day is special. With so much uncertainty surrounding Olympic sports within the NCAA, it’s crucial to value what we have and continue to push, promote and support men’s gymnastics.”

2025 Goals: “Of course, we would love to capture the title again, though I’m sure many are eager to see a new team emerge. However, if people truly understood how hard these guys work, both in the gym and in the classroom, and saw how much they value these opportunities, I believe even the skeptics would find themselves rooting for them.

“Our goal is to remain appreciative, stay humble, and enjoy the journey. Maintaining this level of excellence ultimately depends on the athletes joining our program. The question is: Do they want to be part of something bigger than themselves, or are they primarily motivated by what the program can do for them individually? When athletes embrace the idea of being part of a team and genuinely want to contribute, that’s when the team culture becomes exciting and rewarding.”

Maintaining a Dynasty: “Our focus is on performing to the best of our ability, so our measure of success is not solely based on winning. The goal isn’t simply to win, but to leave the competition feeling proud and happy with our performance. If that results in a victory, that’s fantastic. However, our true success is defined by identifying what we are capable of and achieving it.

“Last year, the team hit every routine in [NCAA] finals, which is always my goal as a coach. Going into that competition, I believed that if we executed at that level, we would win.  But there are years when, even if we perform flawlessly, winning might not be a realistic outcome. Ultimately, it’s about striving for excellence and achieving our own standards.”

MICHIGAN

Rank in 2024: 2nd

2025 Pre-Season Rank: 2nd

First Meet: January 11 vs Greenville & Simpson (Full Schedule: https://mgoblue.com/sports/mens-gymnastics/schedule)

Inside Gym Outlook: Michigan has spent two seasons as Stanford’s Cinderella, and there’s no team more eager to dethrone the Cardinal dynasty than the Wolverines. With a pair of Olympic medalists and home court advantage—Michigan is hosting both this year’s Big 10 and NCAA Championships in Ann Arbor—there’s no team better poised to make that dream a reality and claim their first NCAA title since 2014.

Head Coach Yuan Xiao’s Take…

Key Athletes: “It’s always a challenge to single out potential MVPs from a strong squad, but in addition to our Olympians, Paul Juda and Frederick Richard, keep an eye on Landen Blixt, who I think has just as much potential.

“Being in the gym every day with Paul and Fred, working together and supporting each other, has inspired pretty much every guy on our team, from veterans to freshmen, to want to do the same thing. It’s extremely motivating to not only see the work that goes into getting to that level, but that Olympians have bad days, too. They aren’t always perfect. I think it’s very good to see that the level between where you are, and that top level—some of the best in the world—isn’t that great. That it’s attainable. I think it gives everyone a very personal story to see for themselves, up close, what that process is like, and Paul and Fred also gain from that energy. It creates an environment where everyone gets better.”

Secret Weapon: “We have a freshman pommel horse specialist named Aaronson Mansberger who is 6-3 with a very beautiful, very unique style. He has a big swing, and with his height that’s even more impressive to watch. I think he’s going to be a challenger on that event.

“We also have incoming, mid-term transfer Charlie Larson, who is incredible on floor, and Will Young, who is coming back after injury with high Start Values. I think both are going to surprise some people.”

2024 Reflection: “We didn’t achieve our ultimate goal of an NCAA Championship, but our performance in 2024 met or exceeded most of my expectations. We made a deliberate decision to be very careful with Paul and Fred because it was an Olympic year and that comes around only every four years. We slowed them down a little bit, to protect them so they could participate in the long summer season that was still to come. We had a good night at NCAA finals, but maybe it wasn’t the very best night for those top two, because they had some bigger plans.

“But this year, they’re back, and we all feel like we have some unfinished business for 2025. This year it’s the big one. All these guys are very hungry to win, and even more to do it at home. NCAAs is the top priority of every single athlete on this team, and we are really, really motivated to succeed. No one more than Paul and Fred. They didn’t even go home for Christmas. They told me, ‘We want to stay here, catch up from the time we missed on the tour.’ I told them they were already caught up, but they stayed anyway. That’s how excited they are.”

2025 Goals: “We want to win. Last year we had a good chance, but we knew that everything had to be perfect. This year we feel like we’re more focused and more fully ready. This is a very, very deep team. We have what I think are world-level routines, on every event. Athletes who can win individual championships, as well as help the team.

“We plan to sort of ease everyone back into the line-up. Rest some guys early on, so everyone gets a chance to show us what they can do and then make sure that we peak for Big 10 Championships and NCAA Championships.”

What it Will Take to Win: “Improvements in execution and raising difficulty have been our focal areas. Reflecting on team dynamics, mental toughness, and injury management has also guided our preparation. 

“The new Code of Points dictate 8-skill routines, down from 10 in the last Code, which puts more pressure on every skill. So, the routines are shorter, but harder. It’s been a challenging process for some guys. We’re seeing some really big skills that are pushing the envelope, but right now we’re still in the learning process. We must balance this huge difficulty with consistency, so we don’t want to push too much, too fast.

“My philosophy is always that it’s, first and foremost, artistic gymnastics. Difficulty is important, but I don’t think I’m as worried about that as I have been in the past. I see where we are there, and we are in a good place. Now, it’s balancing that D-score, with the execution and the consistency. 

“The home advantage can be significant. The familiar setting, the fans. And we have a lot of new fans too, since the Olympics. Paul and Fred are very famous right now on campus. Everyone wants to talk to them, support them. I feel like we’re in a very good place.

“This team is very motivated to be the ones that break through. That top Stanford. We feel that very much, and we’re working towards making that happen.”

OKLAHOMA

Rank in 2024: 3rd

2025 Pre-Season Rank: 3rd

First Meet: January 12 vs Air Force (Full Schedule: https://soonersports.com/sports/mens-gymnastics/schedule)

Inside Gym Outlook: The Sooners have finished in the top three more than any team in history (23 times) under Mark Williams, who has never had a squad finish lower than fourth as he enters his 26th season as head coach. OU has also held the No. 1 rank at some point in the regular season every year since 2001. While Stanford and Michigan are the odds-on favorites, you should never count out OU, even if they are experiencing their second-longest title drought, at six years and counting since their 2018 championship.

Head Coach Mark Williams Take…

Key Athletes: “Our returning 2024 CGA MVP Fuzzy Benas and Specialist of the Year Emre Dodanli. Fuzzy finished sixth at the U.S. Olympic Trials and Emre represented Turkey in Paris. Unfortunately, both are recovering from injuries at the moment. Emre broke his hand in the pre-season and is just now getting back on all six, and Fuzzy had surgery on his thumb last week, so will be out for the first six weeks of the season. 

“As important as both those guys are to our overall score, I expect we’ll have a slower start to our season, but we’ll be looking for other guys to step up early and have Fuzzy and Emre back by season’s end for a strong finish.”

Secret Weapon: “He’s not going to be the flashiest guy out there, but Matt Burgoyne is just a great story. He’s a 4.0 student who walked on to our team and made the roster for the first time last year. Matt’s likely to compete on two events for us this season and is knocking on the door of a third. The improvement I’ve seen from him on rings and floor is just incredible. Endlessly motivated, extremely coachable, and equally impressive academically. The kind of athlete you absolutely want to root for.

“Tyler Flores is another one. He has some exciting upgrades, and I think we’ve seen a real shift in his attitude and confidence after the way he stepped up last season when his brother, Colin, got hurt. Tyler is just a great team player who has absolutely come into his own.”

2024 Reflection: “If you don’t win it all, there’s always that bit of disappointment—and even when you do, there’s always something that could be done better. But, overall, I felt pretty good about our 2024 performance. We put up a fight against those top teams, especially when we hit 100%, which we did twice, including at NCAA prelims, where we had the highest score of the day. I think it was a great final, and we finished about as high as we could have, given how fantastic Stanford and Michigan performed on the night.”

2025 Goals: “I love having our home meets supported by great crowds, and winning in the Field House remains important to me. We want to start that new streak. We also hope to give Stanford a run for their money at Conference Championships and feel like we’re in a great position to be competitive at NCAAs. 

“We know we’re not necessarily the favorites this year, but the goal is always to be the best team we can be. And if that’s what we do at National Championships, that’s a successful year, no matter where we finish. To be in that position where, if anyone gives us an opening, we want to be ready to jump through it. At Oklahoma, winning a Championship isn’t just a one-off goal, reserved for when every circumstance is perfect, and I truly believe that’s why we’ve been in the top four every year for 25 years.

“We still need to increase our D-score to match those top programs. As much as we have tried to address that, it’s always a balance between consistency, execution and staying healthy. With the Code changes, there’s been a lot to adjust to. Streamlining to an 8-skill routine is a challenge, but it’s one I hope we’re working with well to try to keep our scores in line with what they were last season. Really good routines were scoring 14s, and when you eliminate two skills, the math suggests you’ll lose at least 3-4 tenths in Start Value, and we’re trying to mitigate that with smart sets. The challenge is trying to meet all the event requirements with skills that are D-rated or better but do so in a way that maintains the ability to hit and compete safely through an entire season. 

“This year is going to be a learning curve, but from the moment we got the new Code in our hands, we’ve been working to make sure we’re paying attention to all those new details—upgrading dismounts, meeting full element event requirements, which isn’t as easy as it was previously, and, of course, working on our floor scales.”

Getting Back on Top: “We’re currently in midst of a tremendous facility renovation that will be complete in the fall, and I think we’re already seeing that impact in the recruiting space. We are lucky in that Oklahoma continues to provide unwavering support for men’s gymnastics, and I think our athletes are cared for on every level—mentally, physically, academically—like no other in the country. All of that is essential to making Championship magic happen. 

“I think we signed an outstanding recruiting class and have a group of guys coming that, top to bottom, are the best class we’ve had in quite some time, and I think they have the potential to do something special.

“I’m excited about the future, but I’m not conceding a National Championship in 2025, or any other year. On any given day, if we hit 100%, like the night we had in NCAA prelims or Rocky Mountain Open last year. Well, those are the kind of performances that win titles. Part of the reason I’m still doing this is that I’m extremely eager to win another championship, and I absolutely think we’re capable of that. If not this year, then very soon.”

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