Georgia Gymnastics made a big move this season. They welcomed an elite gymnastics coach with a stellar career record in the Dawgs camp. None other than the mentor behind Team USA’s Paris success, Cecile Landi. Yet, they couldn’t end the season the way they wanted or had worked for. The No. 10 Georgia GymDogs concluded their season at the NCAA Washington Regional, placing third in session one of round two. But if you think that was a mega blow to the side, wait till you hear what’s coming next.

A star gymnast has just dropped out, leading fans to brew speculations. Are things okay in the Georgia tent? Well, at least Cecile Landi is keen on using the 2025 setback positively. “We are going to use this to fuel our work and get ready for next year! Go Dawgs!” But fans cannot expect the same GymDogs team to go ahead next year. Because there has been a drop out. And a rather important one.

On April 12, Georgia Gymnast Naya Howard took to her Instagram and surfaced an announcement none of the fans had foreseen. She began by dropping truth bombs right away: “To start, I want to share that I will not be continuing gymnastics at Georgia.” The reason? “After some reflection, I’ve decided to explore new places and opportunities that feel more in line with the direction I see for myself moving forward.” However, she isn’t down with gymnastics per se, as she wrote, “but I got more in the tank” on one of her stories too.

Well, this is where the gymnastics fans started getting concerned. In a Reddit discussion, one of them wrote, “She didn’t go to Regionals and posted that she wouldn’t be going due to unforeseen circumstances.” Well, yes, a week ago, right before the Washington Regionals, Naya Howard had dropped an Instagram post saying, “Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, I will not be competing at regionals. I wish my team and everyone else competing the best of luck!” The lack of a specific reason didn’t quite sit right with her fans then. Some speculated an injury back then. But now, with the transfer news, the fans are joining the dots.

Also, it was in Naya Howard’s absence that Georgia gymnastics failed to move past the regionals. Although she had come back from an injury last season, she ended as Georgia’s top scorer on the vault at the Regionals in 2024. Even this season had been going pretty decent, too, until it wasn’t. She had even led the GymDogs to the vault in the Denver Quad Meet on January 12. So why this sudden shift then? Well, here’s what many fans are saying.

Fans are skeptical about the sudden Georgia Gymnastics shakeup

One of the fans chimed in with a possible observation. They wrote, “She unfollowed Cecile and Ryan but is still following Marissa. I thought her original statement saying “due to unforeseen circumstances” was odd but now it’s clearly an internal thing between her and the coaches leaving her off the team. But why? This is messy.” The fan speculated on possible turbulence with the coach.

But that seems far-fetched. At least in Ryan Roberts’ case. In January 2025, just 4 months ago, ESPN documented the bond Naya Howard and Roberts shared in an article. “Ryan has developed me into the person I am and he’s like a dad to me,” Howard said. “He’s really helped me. And I was like, ‘You can’t stop here, you can’t just leave.‘ She also said that the Georgia gymnastics team was not a bunch of gymnasts to him. He believed in them like a family. Thus, fans are speculating if it can be the coaching change that caused this.

Another one brought in a similar comment: “Looks like Cecile isn’t adjusting as smoothly as we’d all like to think.” But apart from fan assumptions, the gymnast has dropped no such hint. However, this wasn’t the end of it. Fans kept voicing speculations about what they feel are the probable causes. “I was afraid it was academic but didn’t post that.” Another one was even concerned that, with the NCAA settlement on the brink, entering the transfer portal seem risky to her because of the roster limit. Well, she will be a new walk-in, after all.

But more than anything, it was the abrupt regionals backout that floored one of the fans. “The “unforeseen circumstances” was a huge tell. If it was an injury that kept her out they would have just said that. A different Gymdog had literally announced she was out with an injury like a day or two before Naya’s announcement.” This fan is clearly ruling out the injury aspect. To them, it looks like something else might be the cause.

Also, some of Naya Howard’s keen followers surfaced a possible theory. They said, “She just liked a comment that said “gymnastics career are short and you shouldn’t settle anywhere that doesn’t make you smile” yikes. Well, was that a cryptic post she liked? At least the fan says so. But all in all, it looks concerning for Georgia Gymnastics. What do you think can be the cause of this shift?