Jay Clark loves the athletes if that wasn’t clear already. From ensuring the LSU gymnasts’ mental health to consulting with squad members to bring out the best in them, the NCAA-winning coach has been a major factor that helped the Tigers clinch their first-ever national title. And now, even he can’t get over what the 2024 NCAA Champion in the All Around, Haleigh Bryant, has achieved this season.

Throughout the regular season and even after that, Bryant has retained a consistency that could evoke a sense of jealousy even among the veterans of the sport. From achieving the coveted “gym slam” to registering the highest score in the NCAA finals, Bryant has almost never faltered this season. And Jay Clark couldn’t leave her out of his speech at the LSU Championship Parade.

In a recent Twitter (now called X) post by the official SEC Network account, Jay Clark’s special nod to Bryant has been given extra focus. Captioned “Jay Clark gives Haleigh Bryant her flowers,” the short video clip shows Clark taking a moment to hail the LSU senior for her remarkable contributions to the Tigers’ national victory.

Mentioning that Clark, like every other LSU student, is an ardent fan of football quarterback Joe Burrow, but that doesn’t fidget with his admiration for Bryant. “I don’t care what you say; I love Joe Burrow and the rest of them, but by God, you’d be hard-pressed to find another athlete on this campus in the history of this place to achieve what she’s one,” acknowledges Clark in his speech, and Haleigh Bryant can’t stop giggling as she sits surrounded by friends and fans.

Haleigh Bryant remains an anchor for the Tigers

Taking a cue from Clark’s words, fans would also agree that Bryant is quite possibly an enigma who graced the LSU campus with her brief presence there. This season, Bryant has achieved and broken records at her will. With a total of 18 perfect 10s, Haleigh’s prowess is beyond any debate, and this season she proved it several times. At the Podium Challenge last month, Haleigh stunned the collegiate gymnastics community with a near-perfect score of 39.925. Her confidence and momentum spilled off to some of her colleagues as well and both the SEC and NCAA championships saw Bryant’s teammates all achieving new or matching their career-high scores in multiple meets all over the country.

On top of that, Bryant is one of the very elite gymnasts who managed to attain the prestigious gym slam in one single season. Now that the thrilling, and certainly noteworthy, season comes to an end, fans can’t wait to see if Bryant returns to Baton Rouge for a final run with the Tigers.