The 2024 season is upon us which means it’s almost time to see how programs slot their incoming freshmen into lineups. That being said, there’s still plenty of time for fans to speculate and make predictions. Since the inaugural release of the College Gym News recruit ratings system, there have been two classes of recruits that have finished their freshmen seasons. We wanted to know: how have CGN-rated athletes performed during their freshman year? In other words, does our rating system accurately predict performance?
To complete this analysis, we used data from freshmen who competed in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Over the past two seasons, there were 965 first-year athletes added to rosters throughout the various divisions of college gymnastics. While rated recruits tend to generate the most buzz, only about a quarter (22.5%) of the freshmen were rated. The remaining athletes (77.5%) all entered college unrated.
Being on a college roster at any level and with any rating is a success in itself, but the level of contribution is what truly sets exceptional athletes apart from their peers. According to the data, the majority (66.94%) of freshmen contributed at least one routine during their freshman season, while the remaining athletes didn’t see any lineup time….
