Men's Gymnastics Signs Three Highly Touted Athletes in 2026 Class

NORMAN – University of Oklahoma men's gymnastics head coach Mark Williams announced Wednesday the signing of three high school seniors – Dante Reive, Hunter Simpson and Jesse Hanny – as part of a highly touted 2026 class.

Reive, Simpson and Hanny are elite prospects with national and international competition experience. The group will join the Sooners in the fall of 2026 to compete beginning with the 2027 season.

"We're really excited about our 2026 class," Williams said. "It is highlighted by Dante Reive, who made the Senior National Team at USAs and will represent the United States in the Junior World Championships. He's a super strong all-arounder with great parents. Hunter Simpson is another really talented athlete coming from EVO Gymnastics who has done well at USA Championships and been on national teams in the past. Jesse Hanny is another Cypress Academy kid, and he has really improved his gymnastics. With this class, we're going to be filling some of the spots of guys who graduate from this team, but we're excited about what they're going to represent. With the success they've had as juniors, I think they're going to make an easy transition to the senior level in collegiate gymnastics."

Dante Reive / West Point Gymnastics Club / West Point, N.Y.

Dante Reive comes to Oklahoma from West Point, N.Y., where he attends James O'Neill High School and trains at West Point Gymnastics. He is rated as the No. 1 recruit nationally by Inside Gymnastics Magazine and is set to represent the United States at the 2025 Gymnastics Junior World Championships, which will be held Nov. 20-24, 2025, in Manila, Philippines. He is a member of the 2025 USA Gymnastics Senior Men's National Team and was a member of the 2024-25 Junior National Team. Reive was the junior national champion in the all-around and on parallel bars and high bar, while capturing second on floor exercise and still rings at the 2024 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships in the Junior 17 division. He placed sixth in still rings in the senior division at the 2025 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships. He won the still rings title and helped Team USA garner a second-place finish in the junior division of the 2025 DTB Pokal Team Challenge in Germany.

Reive has competed in the Men's Development National Championships for four straight years and won still rings gold at the 2025 championships. In 2023, he finished second on parallel bars, third in vault and fifth in the all-around and floor exercise. He earned a pair of third place finishes in floor exercise and vault in the junior division at the 2023 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships. His parents are JD Reive and Doni Thompson. His father, JD, who is also his club coach, is the head coach of Army men's gymnastics.

Hunter Simpson / EVO Gymnastics Club / Palmetto, Fla.

Hunter Simpson comes to Oklahoma from Palmetto, Fla., where he attends Laurel Springs High School and trains at EVO Gymnastics Club with coach Sergei Pakanich. Regarded as the No. 4 prospect nationally by Inside Gymnastics Magazine, he is a member of the 2025-26 USA Gymnastics Junior National Team and was also on the 2024-25 Junior National Team. Simpson was the junior national champion on still rings, finished second in the all-around and third on floor exercise in the Junior 17 division at the 2025 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships. He also competed at the 2025 London Open where he placed second on pommel horse and fourth on still rings and parallel bars.

Simpson has participated in the USA Gymnastics Men's Developmental Program National Championships four times. In 2025, he won the still rings and high bar titles in the Level 10-17 division, while also finishing second in the all-around. In 2024, Simpson earned a second-place finish on the parallel bars and placed third in the all-around and on still rings in the Junior 16 division. He was also the parallel bars champion in the Level 9-15 division in 2023. He earned a pair of second place finishes in the all-around and on still rings in the Junior 16 division at the 2024 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships. His parents are Leah and Tim Simpson.

Jesse Hanny / Cypress Academy of Gymnastics / Cypress, Texas

Hanny comes to Oklahoma from Cypress, Texas, where he is home schooled and trains at Cypress Academy of Gymnastics with coaches Sam McArthur and Igor Vernyi. Hanny was a member of the Level 9 Junior National Team for the 2022-23 year. He helped Team USA garner first-place finishes in the 2025 and 2024 Elite Team Cup. Hanny was the high bar champion and finished second in the all-around in the Level 10-18 division at the 2025 Men's Development Program National Championships.

Hanny was the still rings and parallel bars champion at the 2023 Core Hydration Classic (junior division). He earned four first-place finishes on the all-around, still rings, vault and parallel bars in the 9-15 division of the 2022 Men's Development Program National Championships. Hanny also competed at the Men's Junior Olympic National Championships in 2018 and 2019 and placed third on pommel horse in both years. His parents are Jon and Stephanie Hanny.

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