The September Recruit Report: Class of 2028 Prospects

The Class of 2028 continues to take shape as a recruiting class filled with athletes showing impressive potential across all four events. With the new season underway, September offers an early look at the gymnasts making strides, adding difficulty and establishing themselves as names to watch. In this month's Recruit Report, we highlight a group of Class of 2028 prospects whose current performances and continued development could make them especially intriguing to college programs.    Keira Steinmetz is making the most of her upgrade season, adding impressive new skills across all four events while showing the kind of power that makes her routines stand out. She attacks every skill with confidence and intensity, yet has a way of making even her most difficult elements look effortless. Her upgrades include a Yurchenko full on vault, Maloney-Pak and full pirouette-double tuck on bars, and significant new difficulty on beam and floor. On floor, she is working toward a full-in and front through to double tuck, while her beam upgrades include a front toss-back handspring, pike toss, and back handspring-Gainer layout full dismount. With her combination of power, confidence, and growing difficulty, Steinmetz is an exciting athlete to watch as she continues to raise the level of her routines.     Janie Grace Williams put together an exciting upgrade season, with new difficulty taking shape across all four events. A recruit who immediately stands out for her power, Williams explodes off the apparatus and attacks her skills with the kind of confidence that makes big elements look effortless. She is training a double layout and double Arabian on floor, a front handspring-front pike half on vault, and a blind change-piked Jaeger on bars. On beam, she is adding even more difficulty with a standing front tuck-back handspring and a back handspring-tuck 1.5 dismount. With her combination of explosive power and growing skill difficulty, Williams is an athlete who could make a major impression as these upgrades come together.     Lylah Plaisance is coming off a hugely successful season, capped by a third-place finish on vault at Nationals. Her front handspring-front pike half earned an impressive 9.825, putting her among the top vaulters on the national stage. Now, Plaisance is carrying that momentum into an upgrade season with exciting additions across her routines. She is training a full-twisting double layout and Ray on bars, a front through to double tuck and full-in on floor, and new beam combinations including a front toss and Barani-sissone. After proving she can deliver when the stakes are high, Plaisance looks ready to build on that success with even more difficulty.     Hadleigh Faulkner is building on a strong season in which she made her mark on two of the biggest events, competing vault and bars at Nationals All Stars. She was especially impressive on those events throughout the season, establishing herself as a reliable and high-level competitor. Now, Faulkner is adding even more difficulty to her routines, with a full-out dismount and piked Jaeger in the works on bars, significant upgrades on beam like a triple series, and a double layout, 2.5 and front layout-front double full on floor. With her experience on the Nationals All Stars stage and a new wave of upgrades taking shape, Faulkner enters the next season with plenty of momentum.     Blake Kennedy is putting together an exciting upgrade package, with increased difficulty taking shape across every event. On vault, Kennedy is working toward both a Yurchenko full and Yurchenko 1.5, while bars upgrades include a Gienger, bail to handstand, and full pirouette-double tuck dismount. Floor is another area of growing difficulty, with a front through to double tuck, 2.5, front Rudi, 1.5-front pike, and double pike in the mix. Kennedy is also adding difficulty on beam with a round off-double full dismount and back handspring to chest mount. With upgrades across the board, Kennedy has plenty of potential to enter her junior season with a splash.     Reagan Murphy enters her junior season looking stronger than ever, with an impressive slate of upgrades adding new difficulty to an already polished skill set. Murphy stands out for her exceptional form and beautiful artistry, bringing a level of precision and presentation that makes her routines especially eye-catching. She is training a blind change-piked Jaeger-bail connection and full-out dismount on bars, and a front aerial on beam. On floor, she is taking her difficulty to another level with a double layout, piked full-in, front layout-front Rudi, and 1.5-front layout. With her combination of elegance, execution, and growing difficulty, Murphy is an exciting junior to watch this season.     Kennedy O'Byrne is putting together an exciting upgrade season, adding difficulty across all four events while maintaining the precision and clean execution that define her gymnastics. On vault, she is training both a Yurchenko full and full-on Yurchenko, while bars upgrades include a full pirouette, Maloney, and toe-on-front pike dismount. She is also building new combinations on beam, including a hitch kick-front toss-back handspring and front toss-split jump. On floor, O'Byrne is working toward a 1.5-front pike, 2.5, and double tuck. With her sharp execution and attention to detail, these upgrades could make her junior season one to watch.     Kaya Perry brings an eye-catching combination of clean lines and power to her gymnastics, and she is building on that foundation with significant upgrades across all four events. On vault, she is working toward a Yurchenko half and full, while her bars training features a Shaposh, Shaposh half, Pak, Hindorff, and double layout dismount. She is also adding difficulty on beam with a back handspring-layout, Barani, aerial and round off-1.5 dismount. On floor, Perry is training an impressive collection that includes a double pike, double tuck, full-in, front Rudi, and 1.5-front layout. With her polished lines paired with impressive power, Perry has the ingredients for a standout junior season.     Alivia Magno is putting together an impressive upgrade package, with new difficulty taking shape across all four events. She is training a Tkatchev and double layout dismount on bars, while beam is becoming a major area of growth with a series of challenging connections, including layout-back handspring and back handspring-back handspring-layout stepout. Magno is also working toward a Yurchenko full on vault and adding significant tumbling on floor, including a double pike, double layout, and front Rudi. With upgrades that add both difficulty and depth to her routines, Magno is an athlete with plenty of potential to take a big step forward this season.     Makayla Davies is building an exciting set of upgrades, adding difficulty and new combinations across the lineup. On bars, she is training a Gienger, clear hip handstand-bail to handstand, and double pike dismount, while beam upgrades include a switch half-sissone, aerial-sissone, and back handspring-1.5 dismount. Davies is also training a Yurchenko half on vault and bringing significant tumbling upgrades to floor, including a front layout-Rudi, double pike, and double layout. With added difficulty across every event, Davies is poised to make a strong impact this season as her upgrades come together.     Hayden Jobe is putting together an exciting upgrade package, with added difficulty that could elevate her routines across the lineup. She is training a Tkatchev and full pirouette-double tuck on bars, with a double layout also in the works, while floor features a front full-front layout, front Rudi and double pike. She is also adding an aerial-split jump on beam. Jobe stands out for the way she combines difficulty with a polished, confident presentation, attacking her skills with purpose while maintaining the control needed to make challenging elements look effortless. As these upgrades continue to come together, she has the potential to turn an already strong foundation into a particularly competitive lineup.     Peyton Bieszczat brings a level of explosiveness to her gymnastics that immediately catches the eye. Her power gives her the ability to attack skills with amplitude and confidence, and she is using that strength to push her routines to new levels this season. Bieszczat is training a Yurchenko 1.5 on vault, a Gienger and clear hip blind on bars, and several upgrades on beam, including a switch leap-tour jeté and front aerial-back handspring. On floor, she is working toward a double layout and front layout-Rudi. With her power serving as a defining strength, Bieszczat has the potential to make these upgrades especially impactful when they come together.     Vivian Selbrade is putting together a well-rounded upgrade package with new difficulty emerging across every event. Her beam work is particularly intriguing, with a front aerial-back handspring-layout stepout connection and a front aerial to arabesque adding both difficulty and variety. On vault, she is training a Yurchenko tuck 1.5, while bars upgrades include a toe hand full pirouette, bail handstand, and Maloney. She is also building a powerful floor lineup featuring a front double full, double tuck, and 1.5-front layout. With upgrades ranging from connection value to significant tumbling and vault difficulty, Selbrade is developing a lineup with plenty of depth and potential.     Hadley Tyler brings a graceful quality to her gymnastics, with long, elegant lines that make her skills particularly eye-catching. She is building on that natural presentation with a promising set of upgrades across all four events. Tyler is training a Shaposh, Hindorff, and bail to handstand on bars, while beam additions include a Barani, front toss, and front aerial. On vault, she is working toward a Yurchenko full, and on floor is gaining difficulty with a double pike. With her combination of beautiful lines and developing difficulty, Tyler has the potential to make her gymnastics especially memorable this season.     Ella Escher is building an impressive upgrade package that adds meaningful difficulty to every event. Her beam work features a back handspring-back handspring-layout stepout, side somi, and front toss, while she is also developing a Yurchenko full on vault. On bars, Escher is working toward a double layout dismount alongside a Maloney and Ray, and her floor upgrades include a full-in, 1.5-front layout and front through to double pike. With significant additions across the entire lineup, Escher is showing the kind of versatility and ambition that could translate into a major step forward.

The Class of 2028 continues to take shape as a recruiting class filled with athletes showing impressive potential across all four events. With the new season underway, September offers an early look at the gymnasts making strides, adding difficulty and establishing themselves as names to watch. In this month's Recruit Report, we highlight a group of Class of 2028 prospects whose current performances and continued development could make them especially intriguing to college programs.