This year has been pretty turbulent for the Clemson Tigers. In April, they decided to move on from head gymnastics coach Amy Smith after a short tenure. There was a controversial parting with the head coach due to controversy stemming from a Washington Post investigation in late 2023. After that, Justin Howell and Elisabeth Crandall-Howell were hired as coaches at Clemson in May. The school has seen many reboots in the past month. Is the base of the school turbulent? Well, it does not look like it because this time, there is a new addition to the coaching team, which can transform their game altogether! And fans are loving the new face.
After the murky exit of Amy Smith, Clemson Gymnastics reversed the tables and sent shockwaves through the NCAA gymnastics world once more. The Tigers roped in one of the most respected coaching duos in the country: Justin Howell and Elisabeth Crandall-Howell in a shocking move. This powerhouse is behind Cal’s dramatic climb to national supremacy. Just after being named ACC Co-Head Coaches of the Year in 2025, the Howells are now prepared to train and lead Clemson’s young program into a fierce new chapter.
And now to add to that, the School has welcomed Luke Wasson, who was the mastermind behind the early development of Nia Dennis, a former national team member. Clemson Gymnastics posted the new update on their Instagram page, stating: “Welcome to Clemson, Coach Luke!” As soon as the official page announced this, Reddit user @Free-Cartoonist-5134 jumped onto their account and posted an open discussion about the same, stating, “Clemson second assistant coach named. Thoughts?”
Wasson has successfully coached 20 athletes at the USAG National Training Center and trained 15 athletes onto the TOPS national team. Fans came rushing to the comments to give their verdict, and most of them were pretty elated with the recent addition.
Fans express positive emotions after Luke Wasson becomes a Clemson family member
Let’s see some of Wasson’s previous work, shall we? Wasson has arrived at Clemson after seven years at Ohio State, where he spent 2 years as the associate head coach (2022-24). Wasson spent 5 years as an assistant coach for the Buckeyes (2017-22) before his promotion to associate head coach. During his time in Columbus, he was also the lead vault and floor coach, and in 2022, he led the Buckeyes to a No. 16 final ranking on the floor, the team’s highest finish since 2018. Other than that, he coached Elexis Edwards to achieve a career best of 9.95 at NCAA Regionals that helped her qualify for the NCAA Championship meet, where she finished 15th.
On that note, one fan was excited about the new addition. They commented, “ The Howells said ‘nobody will make fun of Clemson’s floor rotation ever again’ with the combo of him and Jessie.” Another follower chimed in, “Literally!! I can’t wait to see what statement the first set or new Leos makes. And it sounds like he can also help revive the vault too. They have plenty of difficulty but had poor execution.”
One follower said, “He does a great job creating a positive culture. I’m excited for Luke and Clemson. (And he has worked at many summer camps.)” He coached at Ohio State University for seven years, and now this marks a big shift for him this year. While speaking in an hour-long podcast for Shift Movement Science and Gymnastics 5 years ago, his healthy coaching mentality was reflected in his words. At one point in the conversation, he spoke about how coaches should behave. He said, “There is certainly value you seeing that it works when you can be bullheaded. It works for what you know a handful of times. Well, you can get them to do what you want. So you can understand how coaches kind of fall into that trap of knowing that you know if you speak a little bit louder or you’re just a little bit tougher, you can get out of them what you want. But again, you know we’re talking about longevity. Just the overall health of the athlete.”
His answer was a big piece of evidence that he is thoughtful as a coach. Meanwhile, his record with the Ohio State University speaks for itself. Another follower said, “I like this hire. Can’t wait to see what Clemson does this season!” Another follower, “Solid hire. Just saw it on Clemson SM & came over. Recruiting should be interesting as the coaches have a varied footprint.” One follower wrote, “He was the vault and tumbling coach at Ohio State.” Another netizen chimed in, “And those are traditionally their strongest events, esp the floor. (Also, Meredith’s choreo is underrated, IJS).”
Simone Brown, who is a highly sought-after recruit, exited the Clemson Tigers and shifted to the Arkansas Razorbacks–this was a big setback amid coaching changes for the school. But with the Howells and Wasson now officially on the panel, the shadow of doubt has lifted. Clemson is taking a huge turn and is reloading rapidly. Sydney Snyder, a star gymnast who had competed under the Howells at Cal, is now headed to the Tigers, joining this acceleration that suggests Clemson is not building another gymnastic program—they’re building a team of powerhouses.
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