UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Athletics announced a leadership change for the men’s gymnastics program. Following an extraordinary 35-year run as head coach and 45 total years with the Penn State men’s gymnastics program, head coach Randy Jepson’s contract will not be renewed. Associate head coach Tony Beck, a former Nittany Lion student-athlete and longtime assistant coach, will assume the role of head coach, effective immediately.
“Randy's contributions to Penn State Athletics and college gymnastics are immeasurable,” said Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Pat Kraft. “He has been devoted to Penn State for 45 years, including 35 years as a head coach, during which he won three national championships and impacted countless student-athletes who have come through this program. Randy has built one of college gymnastics' most iconic programs. His impact on Penn State and this community is unmatched. We are incredibly proud of what he has accomplished here at Penn State and are forever grateful for his dedication, passion and unwavering commitment to this university. We wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.”
"I fully endorse Pat’s choice of Tony as the next head coach here at Penn State,” Jepson said. “He will do an incredible job, and I have full faith in him to not only build on the tradition here in Happy Valley, but to take the program to new heights in the future. I reflect back on my time as a Nittany Lion with warm regard. I am so grateful to student-athletes for trusting me to lead them all these years, grateful to their families for trusting me with their sons, grateful to the staffs who have supported me along the way and most certainly grateful to Penn State for every single experience I’ve had here.”
Jepson helped shape generations of student-athletes while building Penn State into one of the nation’s premier men’s gymnastics programs. A three-time National Coach of the Year (2000, 2004, 2007), he guided the Nittany Lions to three national championships and became the only Penn State head coach besides legendary Gene Wettstone to win a team national title.
During his tenure in Happy Valley, Jepson compiled nearly 450 career victories, coached eight Olympians, mentored three Nissen-Emery Award winners and developed 139 NCAA All-America honorees. He also coached 14 individual national champions, including Mark Sohn, the first gymnast in NCAA history to win four consecutive national titles on pommel horse.
Beyond competitive success, Jepson equally prioritized academic excellence throughout his career. In the fall of 2024, his team set a program record-high GPA with semester average of 3.56 and a cumulative team GPA of 3.35. His squad reset those record marks again in 2025, including improving the cumulative GPA mark to 3.55.
“I am thrilled to name Tony Beck our next head coach of Penn State Men's Gymnastics,” Kraft said. “He has helped build one of the premier programs in the country, contributing to three individual NCAA titles, 27 All-America honors, and coaching two Olympians. He is respected in the college gymnastics landscape, a great recruiter and a coach who develops young men both inside and outside the gym. We are confident he is the right person to lead this program and we cannot wait to see what he builds here at Penn State.”
"It is an incredible honor to be named the head coach of the Penn State men’s gymnastics team,” said Beck. “This program shaped me as a student-athlete, coach and person, and I understand the standard, pride and expectations that come with representing Penn State Gymnastics. I’m forever grateful to Randy Jepson, my coach and mentor, for bringing me to Penn State and for giving me the opportunity to grow within this program as a coach and leader. I want to thank Pat Kraft and Omar Easy for their belief in me and the opportunity to lead this program. I’m excited to invest in our student-athletes and continue building on this program’s success in all areas while continuing to elevate the championship culture and tradition that define Penn State Gymnastics.”
Beck has spent the last decade helping shape the success of Penn State men’s gymnastics, serving as associate head coach since 2023 after previously spending seven seasons as an assistant coach. During his tenure, the Nittany Lions have captured the 2019 Big Ten Championship and secured the program’s first-ever regular season conference title in 2025. Beck has helped develop 29 All-Americans, three NCAA individual champions and seven Big Ten individual title winners during his time on staff.
In 2026, Beck helped develop Landon Simpson and Kellen Ryan into full all-around competitors. Both athletes competed on all six events at the Big Ten and NCAA Championships while earning All-America honors. Ryan, who transferred to Penn State from Minnesota’s club program in January 2025, also earned a bronze medal at the Big Ten Championships.
Beck earned Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year honors in 2025 after helping guide Penn State to a fifth-place NCAA Championships finish, the program’s best national finish in nine seasons. He also played a crucial role in developing Josh Karnes, who clinched his second Big Ten individual title, this time on the parallel bars.
In 2024, he helped coach senior Michael Jaroh to a Big Ten high bar title and junior Josh Karnes to All-America honors on parallel bars and the all-around. Karnes also competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Jaroh, Karnes and Michael Artlip all earned All-Big Ten first team honors.
Beck also helped mentor Olympians Stephen Nedoroscik (United States) and Sam Zakutney (Canada), who became Penn State’s 21st and 22nd Olympians.
As a volunteer assistant coach for the Nittany Lions, Beck helped with the daily practices and competition, while working closely with on-campus recruiting. In his final season as the volunteer assistant coach, Beck played a vital role in the Blue and White’s third Big Ten Championship and a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
Following his graduation from Penn State, Beck started the first men’s gymnastics program at Centre Elite Gymnastics where he produced numerous regional and state champions. For his efforts, he was named the 2015 Pennsylvania Coach of the Year.
The Eastern Pennsylvania native has also served as a judge from the Junior National level to the collegiate level and was an instructor at the International Gymnastics Camp where he coached weekly camps focusing on technique and skill development.
As a student-athlete for the Blue & White, Beck earned a fourth-place finish on the parallel bars at the 2010 Big Ten Championships and a ninth-place finish on the pommel horse at the 2011 NCAA Championships. Beck also helped the team to two third-place finishes in the Big Ten Championships in 2010 and 2012 before the Nittany Lions placed second in his senior campaign. In 2013, Penn State went on to place fourth at the NCAA Championships with Beck placing sixth on the high bar.
A native of Northampton, Pennsylvania, Beck earned his bachelor’s degree in recreation, parks and tourism management from Penn State in 2013. He was a Dean’s List student and earned CGA Academic All-America honors during his collegiate career.