Konnor McClain enrolling at LSU this fall with hopes of balancing NCAA and elite

Reigning U.S. all-around champion Konnor McClain won’t defend her national title in August because she’ll be starting college at LSU instead.

The Olympic hopeful announced Thursday that she will not defer joining the Tigers, as previously expected, and will instead go to college this fall, compete in NCAA in the spring of 2024, and then return to elite after the season concludes in April.

Paris is still on the table, but McClain is doing this her way.

“It’s not the original route I was going for,” McClain told ESPN, “but I believe I have to take a different route to get to my happiest place. I’ll return to elite competition after the NCAA season next year.”

McClain has had a challenging few years and been open about her struggles in life and in gymnastics.

Personally, she lost her father and grandmother from COVID-19 in December 2021.

“When Konnor’s dad passed away, she dug in and busted her butt that first year, and now she’s grown up and is looking at the big picture of life,” Konnor’s mom, Lorinda McClain, told ESPN. “Maybe this is going to be a harder route [to the Olympics], or maybe this is exactly what she needs.”

McClain is currently training at her fourth gym in two years. She moved from Revolution to WOGA in May of 2021, then from WOGA to Pacific Reign in April. In June, she moved from Pacific Reign to Gymcats in Henderson, Nevada, near her hometown of Las Vegas.

“It was time to come home,” McClain said. “It’s nice to have my brothers and family around me all the time. My grandpa is here, and it’s also where my dad is buried. I’m in a good mental spot right now.”

The 18-year-old has been out of the gym for much of the past year since winning the national title, battling back and hand injuries. She recently returned to training but will not compete at the Core Hydration Classic (formerly U.S. Classic) or U.S. Championships in August, instead opting to start classes in Baton Rouge on August 21.

Whether she has her Gymcats coaches or LSU head coach Jay Clark lead her Olympic training is to be determined, but Clark is optimistic about the challenge.

“It’ll be tough to balance, but we will figure it out together,” LSU coach Jay Clark told ESPN. “The biggest challenge right now is getting Konnor healthy, happy and adjusted to her new environment.”

McClain won’t be the only athlete competing in NCAA and pursuing Paris 2024; both Jade Carey (Oregon State) and Leanne Wong have plans to balance both their college and Olympic pursuits.

“Making the Olympic team is still at the top of my list,” McClain said, “but I knew I wasn’t going to make the team if I wasn’t happy and healthy and at my best. For so many years, you had to do gymnastics a certain way or you were never going to make it. Now you can put what you need first and gymnastics after.”

McClain plans to major in psychology at LSU and has been vocal about how excited she is to join the SEC powerhouse.

“I chose LSU because the team is amazing and the culture is unmatched. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” McClain said in a release from LSU. “I’m so excited to be a part of this team, and I can’t wait to make history with them!”