FAYETTEVILLE, Ark — Arkansas sophomore jumper Jaydon Hibbert, who claimed the prestigious Bowerman in December, announced on Thursday that he's forgoing the rest of his college eligibility to turn pro.
Hibbert shared his gratitude for the University of Arkansas in an Instagram post.
“University of Arkansas, you have been more than just a school to me," Hibbert said. "You’ve been a family. To all my coaches, teammates, and professors, you’ve shaped me into the athlete and person I am today. You’ve instilled in me the Razorback spirit which I’ll carry with me on my professional journey.”
Following a historic freshman season, Hibbert is the first male freshman to claim the Bowerman and became the youngest person, male or female, to win the honor that USTFCCCA started in 2009.
The Bowerman is an annual track and field award for the year's best student-athlete in American collegiate track and field.
And Hibbert earned it, finishing the season undefeated in the triple jump, sweeping four SEC and NCAA titles. He also broke a handful of decade-old collegiate and world U20 records.
"We're proud of Jaydon and all he's accomplished here as a Razorback in such a short period of time," Arkansas men's track and field head coach Chris Bucknam said. "Just really, really happy that he's able to take this next step and go to the next level."
Hibbert will remain familiar with the Arkansas program in starting his professional career as the Razorbacks have established a solid pipeline from the college scene to the professional world.
“We have a great group of post-collegian Razorbacks that are here training now,” Bucknam said. “Everything is here for him and it’s a great way of life. He’s going to thrive at the next level."
Bucknam said Hibbert's decision to turn pro is a "blessing in disguise" for the program.
"We lose a great athlete, but we haven’t lost him," Bucknam said. "He’s a Razorback forever, and he’ll be here training with Coach Geopfert. This is what we do, right? We try to change lives. It’s a major accomplishment, and we always tell them, if you’re going to go pro, make it transformational. Get something that is beyond your wildest dreams.”
Hibbert's growth from when he came to Arkansas in the fall of 2022 as a 17-year-old to now is what Razorback associate head coach Travis Geopfert said stands out the most.
"I'm really happy for him," Geopfert said. "He's a lot stronger, getting faster, and working on some technical things he can still clean up despite all that success. There's always room for improvement... It's a great opportunity that he's earned."
In becoming the Arkansas school record holder, Hibbert surpassed Razorback legend Mike Conley by breaking his indoor collegiate record of 57-1 (17.40) with a 57-6.5 (17.54) on his only attempt at the NCAA Indoor in Albuquerque, N.M.
Outdoors, Hibbert flashed his excellence during the SEC Championships in Baton Rouge, leaping 58-7.5 (17.87) on his second attempt to break the NCAA record of 57-7.75 (17.57) set in 1982 by SMU’s Keith Connor.
The performance also topped the Arkansas school record of 57-6.5 (17.54) set by Conley in 1985. Hibbert matched the career-best mark Conley made as a professional, as both are equal to No. 13 on the all-time world list.
"To break the indoor and outdoor collegiate records, obviously with the Arkansas school record, his stamp on the history of NCAA track and field is already there in a very short period of time," Geopfert said. "We are going to celebrate his achievements forever. His name is in the history books forever, and I'm excited for his name to be in the history books on the world stage as well."
Already possessing the Olympic qualifying mark for Paris, Hibbert would become just the fifth Jamaican male to qualify for an Olympic triple jump, joining a pair of Razorbacks in Carey McLeod (2021 Tokyo) and Clive Pullen (2016 Rio de Janeiro), along with Lennox Burgher (1968 Mexico City) and Henry Jackson (1972 Munich).