Who wouldn’t want to have one last thunderous dance before the curtain drops? Haleigh Bryant definitely does! The LSU Tigers sensation’s reputation as an elite gymnastics star is beyond reproach, and she wants to make her final year at Baton Rouge count. Her start to the 2025 NCAA season wasn’t on par with her skills, and fans were concerned about how she could help the team defend its national title. But all that could soon change!

Bryant’s absence at the Tigers’ season opener against Iowa State on January 3 raised many eyebrows. Then, in the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad on the second week of the NCAA campaign, the LSU senior performed only on the beam, posting 9.750. That score wasn’t a true reflection of Haleigh’s prowess by any means. But last Friday, she added another event to her rotation as LSU took on Florida, and it was like a gust of fresh breath for her fans. And now, even brighter days might be ahead of us.

The gymnast shared her intentions for the coming days in the post-match presser after the Tigers’ triumph over the Gators. With this being her fifth and final year as a collegiate gymnastics star, one would expect to see a star like her go all-in to go out with a bang, and it seems like that’s exactly what’s on Haleigh Bryant’s mind as well. When asked about how she’s dealing with her UCL injury, the reigning NCAA AA champ said, “I think right now I’m feeling really good. Definitely taking it day by day, definitely doing everything I can outside of the gym, whether it’s fueling my body or going to PT every single day. And I think it’s going really really well,” underscoring the fact that she could soon be over the rough patch altogether.

Bryant went on to note her determination to shoulder extra responsibilities should her squad demand it. “I’m not sure what the future holds right now but whatever this team needs me to do, I’m going to be willing to step up whenever my body’s ready,” she said about how she might soon be doing all four events in case LSU needs her to do at the upcoming meets.

At Friday’s meet against the SEC powerhouse, Florida, Haleigh added a second event to her rotation for the first time this season. She hauled an impressive 9.950 on the beam, bagging the top individual spot in the event, and went on to post an almost equally thunderous 9.900 in the floor routine. While she didn’t score any Perfect 10s at the Maravich Center, her slow but steady return to full rotation made many fans breathe a sigh of relief. And Bryant was elated herself. “I’m just so honored to be back out here with my team,” she said about her feelings after the match. But her coach always knew this day would come sooner or later, despite the concerns that many LSU fans had.

Coach Clark knew nothing could keep Haleigh Bryant down for too long

In 2024, when the Tigers were going through a bad phase, head coach Jay Clark made it clear that his priority was to ensure the athletes’ mental and physical well-being instead of simply evaluating them based on the scores they posted. His views were enough to highlight the culture that reigned at the Tigers’ training sessions, and it wasn’t hard to comprehend that such a “holistic” approach was bound to show results. Unsurprisingly, Clark’s vehement backing definitely helped LSU make history as they went on to lift the NCAA D1 Gymnastics Championships trophy for the first time in program history in 2024. And Haleigh Bryant was a driving force behind the success.

Her near-perfect performance at almost every meet of last year brought her a ton of laurels. The 2024 NCAA AA champion, the 2024 NCAA All-American in all five events, the 2024 SEC Gymnast of the Year, the 2024 AAI Award winner, a 6x 2024 SEC Gymnast of the Week—the list goes on and on, showcasing how incredible an athlete Haleigh is. And yet, the 2025 season started off poorly for her.

During LSU’s Gymnastics 101 show, Bryant suffered an ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injury in her elbow while executing a vault routine. That resulted in her missing out on the Tigers’ season opener. The next quad meet in the second week also saw her being shaky on the beam, but Clark wasn’t one to give in to the fans’ speculative comments. “I mean, it’s ridiculous. I’m not going to kneejerk react to somebody having a minor error, especially one that somebody who’s proven to us over and over again that she can be counted on,” he noted instead, how Bryant’s skills shouldn’t be something to question about at this point. With that, he gave Haleigh the headspace to find her groove at her own pace ahead of the Florida game. And the Tigers star returned his confidence tenfold, wouldn’t you agree? As LSU sets its sights on Arkansas for next Friday, what do you expect to see from the NCAA icon? Tell us below!