LSU gymnastics receives commitment from Olympian Hezly Rivera | LSU

Olympic gold medalist and gymnast Hezly Rivera becomes an LSU Tiger.

The highly sought-after candidate announced her commitment to LSU on her Instagram account on Thursday. Rivera's commitment comes just days after her official visit to LSU last weekend.

“I am so blessed and excited to announce that I have verbally committed to an athletic scholarship to Louisiana State University,” Rivera wrote.

Rivera, 16, was the youngest member of the entire U.S. Olympic delegation to the Paris Olympics this summer. She won the women's team gold medal along with Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and former Auburn gymnast Suni Lee.

Rivera would be the first gymnast with Olympic experience to sign with LSU. Current Tiger gymnast Aleah Finnegan also competed in Paris, representing the Philippines. Rivera won't graduate high school until 2026 and there's a chance she could delay the start of her college career until after the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, meaning she may not compete for LSU until January 2029.

A native of Hackensack, New Jersey, Rivera began her career at ENA Gymnastics in Paramus, where she trained with fellow New Jersey native Olivia Dunne. Dunne will return to LSU for a fifth season in 2025.

Rivera now trains at WOGA in Plano, Texas, which is also home to rising LSU sophomore Konnor McClain, the 2024 Southeastern Conference balance beam champion.