Top choice declines GymDogs job offer

Jay Clark, a former Georgia coach, will be staying at LSU.

ATHENS — By all accounts, Georgia took a mighty swipe at Jay Clark. In the end, though, the Bulldogs will have to move on in their search for a new gymnas- tics coach.

Several individuals with knowledge of the situation have confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Clark declined a lucrative offer to return to Athens as coach. A Roswell native and UGA graduate, Clark led LSU to the national championship this past week- end. It was the Tigers’ first in gymnastics.

It was Clark’s third season as LSU’s coach. He accepted what the AJC was told was a “very lucrative offer” Mon- day to remain with at LSU, which had been paying him $275,000 a year.

Clark, 55, was UGA’s gym- nastics coach from 2010- 12 and spent 20 years with the program, 17 as Suzanne Yoculan’s top assistant. He resigned without much explanation in April 2012.

Monday in Baton Rouge, the Tigers were feted with a parade and celebration on the LSU’s campus. He did not mention then, nor has he commented publicly, about his future at LSU or

Georgia’s interest in bring- ing him “home.” He has not returned messages seeking comment.

Courtney Kupets Carter, the greatest gymnast in UGA history, was fired Friday after seven years as the Gym- Dogs’ coach. Georgia, which once won five consecutive national gymnastics cham- pionships and has won 10 overall, never contended for a title under her leader- ship. The Bulldogs finished last at the SEC Champion- ships this season.

Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, Clark’s decision to stick with the Tigers does not strike only one name from UGA’s list of prospective candidates. Part of Clark’s negotiation to remain at LSU included a succession plan. Courtney McCool Grif- feth, a former UGA gymnast, and her husband, Garrett Griffeth, are LSU’s top two assistants. They also will remain with the Tigers with the expectation of succeed- ing Clark at the time of his retirement.

Terms of Clark’s new agreement with LSU are not known. Oklahoma coach K.J. Kindler is thought to be the nation’s highest-paid gym- nastics coach at $800,000 a year. Kupets Carter’s last contract at Georgia was for $200,000 annually.

LSU’s national champi- onship was especially pain- ful for longtime supporters of Georgia gymnastics. Not only was it orchestrated by Clark and McCool Griffeth, two of the Tigers’ gymnasts also have strong UGA ties. Sierra Ballard, Clark’s niece, is the daughter of legend- ary Georgia gymnast Lori Strong. Elena Arenas is the daughter of Kim (Arnold) Arenas, who was All-Ameri- can gymnast, and Pete Arenas, who was a UGA baseball player. In addition, Elena Arenas graduated from North Oconee High School.

And Clark is married to former Georgia gymnast Julie Ballard.

So where do the Bulldogs turn from here?

There is no shortage of viable candidates. The Bulldogs are known to have made contact with Jus- tin Howell and Liz Crandall-Howell, co-head coaches at California. The Bears were runners-up at this season’s NCAA Cham- pionships and were making their first Final Four appear- ance. But the school’s facil- ities and resources can’t compare to Georgia’s.

Georgia also was expected to contact Arkansas coach Jordyn Wieber, Kentucky coach Tim Garrison and Flor- ida assistant Owen Field. Wieber and Garrison have elevated their programs in the past few years.

UGA officials also were expected to talk to current GymDogs assistant coach Ryan Roberts. He has spent the past two seasons in Athens after a long stint as an assistant at Alabama.

Georgia has had eight coaches in the program’s history, but only four since gymnastics became an NCAA-sanctioned sport in the 1980s: Yoculan, Clark, Danna Durante and Kupets Carter. Durante now is coach at North Carolina.

AJC 2010 Jay Clark (right) just led LSU to its first gymnastics national championship. Clark, a UGA alum, spent three seasons (2010-12) as Georgia’s coach after 17 years as an assistant under Suzanne Yoculan.