LSU Gymnastics Coach Jay Clark Gets Honest About KJ Johnson’s Injury Return

“Does anyone know why KJ Johnson wasn’t introduced to the team at their preview meet? I checked social media and Google before I came here, and it looks like she posted pictures of Team Leos on Instagram back in November…” a worried LSU fan asked on Reddit. Last year, before the historic gymnastics display by the LSU gymnastics team at 101 Gym, fans raised many doubts and rumors about KJ’s absence from the Tigers’ rosters. KJ Johnson has been one of the key players in the Tigers’ pack. In 2024, she competed in every meet on vault and in one such meet on floor routine and delivered some of the best performances.

Despite her blazing performance last year, surprisingly, KJ Johnson has been missing from the team’s roster and the poster this season. Fans and followers are questioning this absence, but from the LSU side, a ‘mum’ is the only thing that we have heard till their season opener against Iowa State on January 3rd this year. KJ was back at the Maravich Centre against Iowa and snagged with her vault performance with 9.825. But again, it’s not certain whether she will continue to compete or not. On January 11 this year, she was absent from LSU’s gymnastics quad meet against Utah, California, and Oklahoma. On the other side, though, LSU has finally broken their ‘mum’ on the issue with the Tigers’ coach, Jay Clark, coming up with some updates.

The latest from Jay Clark on K.J. Johnson’s status

On Monday, LSU coach Jay Clark said, “Nothing really to share more than I already have on either of those fronts… I haven’t gotten the full report from the medical people,” when asked about the senior KJ Johnson’s return on the mat during a press meet, which was shared on the LSU Sports YouTube channel. It wasn’t the update LSU fans were looking for, but still, there is a light ray of hope.

Continuing about KJ Johnson, coach Clark said, “KJ is really, it’s going to depend on where her strength and where her comfort level is. She talked like she could have vaulted Friday night. Whether or not, that’s not an official medical thing. It’s just what she was saying. So, get a better sense of that as we go. The thing about KJ was she was already vaulting.” Coach Clark was away from the squad to attend a personal affair. Thus, the Tigers’ fans still need to wait for the final KJ’s news. Yet, with the PMCA entry this year, KJ might be able to showcase her prowess at some point in the season. 

Jay Clark also added they did expect KJ on Friday’s meet, but “the ankle happen while we were on the road in Oklahoma.” Clark does seem to be hopeful that she will return soon. So let’s cross our fingers and hope for her return to the mat soon. 

It wasn’t just her, but her teammate Annie Beard was also missing from LSU’s list of 21 gymnasts. Injuries knocked Annie, too, like KJ Johnson. But Annie’s image appeared on the team’s poster. An “internal matter” seemed to be the reason for missing the 2024 SEC Champion (FX), KJ Johnson, from the poster at the very beginning of the 2025 season. But something that cannot be missed: the champion has made an astounding contribution to the Tigers’ historic gymnastics stance.

KJ Johnson’s absence is not good for the LSU gymnastics

The Tigers’ last year marked themselves in history pages by registering their first-ever NCAA win, and KJ’s presence in the rooster did contribute to the team’s success. She participated in every single meeting. Also, she etched her name in history with a 9.975 career high on the floor twice in 2024. During SEC’s New Orleans meet, Johnson’s performance helped her win the 2024 SEC Floor Champion. Not just in 2024 but in her sophomore year (2023) as well, she has impressed with her skills.

KJ Jhonson scored 9.950 on vault against Arkansas, which is her career high. Not just that, she went on to match her career high twice in meets against Florida and Georgia. But the gymnastic star wasn’t done yet, as she also achieved her career high on beams by scoring 9.875 in the meet against Florida. Now that is what we call a queen’s move. Thus, her absence definitely has left fans concerned and raised many eyebrows. Let’s hope that K.J. Johnson comes soon for the next meet that too with her full might and the Tigers roar another victory.