Utah gymnastics is seeing no shortage of success on the recruiting trail.
A year after signing three five-star recruits — rising Utah freshmen Elizabeth Gantner, Camie Winger and Ella Zirbes — the Red Rocks did it again, signing three more five-star gymnasts on national signing day Wednesday.
Avery Neff — the No. 1 overall recruit in 2024 — Zoe Johnson and Clara Raposo all signed letters of intent with Utah and comprise the Red Rocks’ 2024 signing class (they will make their debuts with Utah in January 2025).
“I am extremely grateful for our staff and their efforts in assembling this 2025 freshman class,” Utah head coach Tom Farden said in a statement. “We are beyond excited about signing one of the finest classes in the history of Utah gymnastics.
“These exceptional athletes come from standout clubs across North America and have the potential to make an immediate impact on our program. We are so excited to welcome these young women and their families to our Red Rock community.”
Neff — a South Jordan native — and Johnson (North Carolina) are both top-10 overall recruits, per College Gym News’ ratings, while Raposo (Canada) fell just outside the top 10 at No. 11 overall.
Raposo is going to defer her enrollment for a year, in order to represent Canada at the Paris Olympics next summer.
“We are excited to support Clara in her 2024 Olympic run with Team Canada and look forward to bringing her international competition experience to Salt Lake City next fall,” Farden said.
What to know about Avery Neff, Zoe Johnson and Clara Raposo
All three of Utah’s latest signees will arrive in Salt Lake City with numerous accolades.
Neff is arguably the most decorated of the group — there is a reason she is the No. 1-rated recruit — having earned co-champion honors at the 2023 Nastia Liukin Cup. She is also the 2023 national AA champion (Level 10) and has scored a career high perfect 10.0 on vault and a 39.625 in the all-around.
“Avery is hailed as the No. 1 recruit in the country and we believe she can step in as an all-arounder in her first meet with us,” Farden said. “Her fierce competitive drive and remarkable achievements will bode well for her during her career as a hometown Ute. She has all the attributes it takes to be one of the very best in the NCAA.”
Johnson, the No. 7-rated recruit, won the 2022 Level 10 national championship on uneven bars and finished fourth overall in the all-around at both the 2022 and 2023 Level 10 national championships. At the 2020 Nastia Liukin Cup, she finished as the runner-up on beam, while placing third on bars and fourth in the all-around.
“Zoe is the complete package and what really stands out is her personal motivation to continue upgrading her difficulty on every event,” Farden said. “She has the ability to compete on all four events and we can’t wait to see her outgoing personality shine in the gym and community.”
As for Raposo, the Toronto native is a five-time member of the Canadian national team and most recently was an alternate for Team Canada at the 2023 world championships and Pan American games.
She was sixth on beam and eighth in the all-around at the 2023 Canadian national championships.
“Clara has the talent and international style that Utah fans will love,” Farden said. “She is a natural on the performance events (beam and floor), but we see her as a strong option on all four events.”
How does Utah’s 2024 signing class compare to its rivals?
Overall, Utah’s latest signing class ranks No. 4 in the country, per College Gym News, behind Florida (No. 1), Michigan (No. 2) and Oklahoma (No. 3), though those ratings are subject to change as classes finalize.
The Red Rocks and Gators are the only schools in the country expected to sign three five-star recruits in the 2024 class, with the Sooners and Wolverines projected to add two five-star signees each.
(As of 5 p.m. MDT, the Gators had only signed one 5-star recruit, Lily Bruce).
Michigan (five) and Oklahoma (four) both have larger classes than the Utes, but only the Gators match or edge Utah in terms of overall rating of 2024 signees.
Top 10 prospects have signed with the following teams thus far:
- Avery Neff — Utah.
- Lily Pederson — Oklahoma.
- Kailin Chio — LSU.
- Shilese Jones — N/A.
- Kelsey Slade — Oklahoma.
- Ondine Achampong — Cal.
- Zoe Johnson — Utah.
- Skye Blakely — N/A.
- Kaliya Lincoln — LSU.
- Lily Bruce — Florida.
This story will be updated.