“Honor one another with their actions, stay unselfish, not just when they had to due to adversity, but when things were going well.” – These were the words LSU head coach Jay Clark used to describe the Tigers after they won the 2024 national title. It’s these values that Clark has instilled in his gymnasts since joining LSU in 2020.

Needless to say, he was glad to see the girls honor those values. In fact, it was the unselfishness that helped Louisiana State clinch its first gymnastics national title. Clark had no qualms about keeping Olivia Dunne as a substitute because that was part of the plan. Neither did the celebrity gymnast with over 13 million followers question her coach. Today, LSU is heading into 2025 as defending champions.

The LSU coach’s long road to the national championship

Winning the 2024 NCAA gymnastics championship wasn’t just a historic milestone for LSU. It was the culmination of the decades of effort Jay Clark had put into his craft as a coach. The veteran coach described how he felt after winning the title. “I haven’t had the chance to sit back, relax and relish it and enjoy it,” Clark said about the historic achievement.

However, the humble coach gave all the credit to the team and staff at LSU. “But to watch the release of joy from our teams and the fans, the eruption of sheer joy and elation with what had occurred, it was very rewarding and it’s massive for the program,” said Clark while receiving the Allstate Sugar Bowl honors in June. However, to say his road to glory has been a long one would be an understatement.

Jay Clark started his coaching journey as an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of Georgia. Clark climbed the ranks of Georgia’s gymnastics program under the legendary Suzanne Yoculan. Starting as the assistant coach in 1990, Clark served under the 10-time NCAA title-winning head coach for 17 years.

Needless to say, the former Associate Head Coach at Georgia played a significant role in helping Georgia win those titles. While he did take the helm after Yoculan’s retirement, a national title eluded coach Clark. After residing as Georgia’s head coach, Clark once again found himself under the wing of another iconic coach, D-D Breaux at LSU in 2012.

However, four years after Breaux’s retirement, head coach Clark has finally fulfilled his dream. “I’m so grateful to D-D Breaux for the opportunity to come here 12 years ago and then the trust she had in me to take over when she retired,” the coach said in June. However, there’s a good reason why not one, but two iconic college gymnastics coaches trusted Clark to replace them.

A look back at coach Jay Clark’s achievements as he looks ahead in search of further success

Despite spending most of his career as an assistant or co-head coach at Georgia and LSU, Clark’s skills have been crucial to both programs. Over the years, the veteran coach has developed his skills as an expert recruiter, scooping up NCAA champion-caliber talents for his program. He also specialized in coaching those talents on the uneven bars.

Throughout the NCAA championship-winning coach’s career, he has coached nine NCAA bar champions. The Tigers’ most prolific uneven bars special Sarah Finnegan spent her career under Coach Clark’s guidance. In 2017, Finnegan became the first LSU Tiger to become the NCAA bars champion. By 2019, the specialists under Jay Clark shattered the LSU school record on the bars, scoring 49.750, the second highest in NCAA history.

The two-time National Co-Assistant Coach of the Year has coached LSU athletes to 42 All-America honors. Besides the national title, Clark also won his first SEC conference title as head coach in 2024, earning the SEC Co-Head Coach of the Year award. However, despite his illustrious career, Clark has no plans for slowing down and is looking forward to earning more success with LSU.

That’s why the USA Gymnastics Region 8 Hall of Famer has extended his contract with the LSU Tigers until 2031. “This extension and our success is not about one person. This is validating for our entire staff who works hard to do things the right way. We value our relationships with each other and with the student-athletes we coach,” Jay Clark said in July 2024.

This move came shortly after rumors of the veteran coach leaving LSU for Georgia surfaced. Clark quashed the rumors and signed the extension shortly after guiding the tigers to their historic milestone. LSU Athletics Director Scott Woodward expressed his delight at getting the opportunity to continue working with Clark.

“Jay achieved a new standard of excellence in our gymnastics program… I am pleased he will continue to lead our program and mentor our student-athletes to new heights,” said a hopeful Scott Woodward. However, heading into 2025 as defending champion, Jay Clark wasn’t particularly impressed with the Tigers’ current form.

Reviewing the annual Gymnastics 101 event at Baton Rouge, the veteran coach expressed mixed comments. “Some really good spots, but I saw some things that were also concerning.” explained the coach. All in all, Clark explained that the Tigers need to iron out the kinks in their armor if they’re to defend their NCAA crown. So only time will tell if Coach Clark and the Tigers become two-time national champions in 2025.