Gators gymnast eMjae Frazier soars through the air during her debut floor routine with the Gators in the season opener. (Photo: Hannah White/UAA Communications)
eMjae Frazier Has Fit In Fast With Gators
Wednesday, January 28, 2026 | Gymnastics, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — On a visit in early May to check out the Florida campus and to entertain the prospect of joining the UF gymnastics program, eMjae Frazier had ample reliable sources to lean on for credible information.
UF senior Selena Harris-Miranda was a teammate of Frazier's older sister, Margzetta Frazier, at UCLA. And Frazier had developed connections with Gators Kayla DiCello, Anya Pilgrim, Skylar Draser and Skye Blakely at different stations as an elite gymnast with U.S. National Team experience.
With all those resources available, it didn't take long for Frazier to commit to joining the Gators as a transfer from Cal with a season of eligibility remaining. She did so during a dinner at Spurrier's Gridiron Grille during her visit.
What happened when Frazier's decision was announced at Spurrier's that night provided her with a loud introduction to Florida fans.
"The whole restaurant started cheering,'' she said. "That was just so amazing."
Frazier's arrival boosted a Florida team that was already considered a potential national championship contender. In her first three meets with the Gators, Frazier has performed like a seasoned difference-maker.
In last week's victory at Auburn, Frazier stepped onto the balance beam during Florida's final rotation of the night, sandwiched between Blakely's 9.90 and Harris-Miranda's 9.95. Frazier delivered in the clutch with a season-high 9.925, helping the Gators win on the road at No. 11 Auburn.
It was eMjae doing what eMjae does.
"I love competing,'' she said this week as the No. 3 Gators prepare to host No. 6 Arkansas on Friday night at the O'Dome. "I didn't even know where we were [on the scoreboard] until I finished my beam routine. I just stay within the team, stay present with the team."
As Frazier competed on the road for the first time in a Southeastern Conference meet, she got a taste of the theatrics and competitiveness that exist in the country's most difficult conference. Eight of the top 11 teams in the latest national rankings call the SEC home.
With TLC's 1999 hit "No Scrubs" blasting over the arena's sound system while an Auburn gymnast performed her floor routine, Frazier remained footloose and fancy free as she sang along atop the beam.
"It was so loud, I was like, 'How can I ignore this? I'm just going to go with it,' " Frazier said. "I was laughing, just having a good time. 'Oh, this is how the SEC goes.' It just makes it so much more fun to go out there and have that heat."
Frazier can take the heat. She knows how to dish it, too.
During her three seasons at Cal, Frazier emerged as one of the NCAA's top young gymnasts. She became the first Cal gymnast in program history to record a perfect 10 on the floor exercise as a freshman. She was a member of the All-Pac 12 Team with teammate Harris-Miranda, then at UCLA, in 2024.
Gators coach Jenny Rowland viewed Frazier as a potential transfer addition when Frazier, who graduated in three years from Cal with a psychology degree, made it known she was interested in spending her final season elsewhere.
Her relationship with several Gators helped.
"I would say that was a great connector," Rowland said.
eMjae Frazier turned in a clutch performance on beam last week at Auburn. (Photo: Hannah White/UAA Communications)
Meanwhile, Frazier's outing at Auburn confirmed what everyone in a Florida leotard already knew: she is good.
Really good.
"I believe it wasn't just myself who had confidence in her, but the entire staff and the team on top of that,'' Rowland said. "We're in [the gym] on a daily basis. This team is grinding day in and day out, and to see the consistency and the confidence that she brings on a daily basis, truly, there was no reason to doubt her whatsoever."
Frazier, who grew up in Erial, N.J., outside Philadelphia, was raised in a family full of high achievers. Her parents, Tina and William Frazier, were both athletes. Margzetta, four years older than eMjae, paved the way for her passion for gymnastics. Frazier's two younger siblings are also college athletes. Sister Billie is a sprinter at Syracuse, and brother Tytan is a track-and-field athlete at Maryland Eastern Shore.
eMjae knows competition.
"We push each other,'' she said. "We were there for every step of the way for each other. My siblings are my best friends."
However, Margzetta blazed the path that eMjae, whose name is inspired by her maternal grandmother Mary Jane, chose to follow. She grew up playing several sports and, to this day, considers soccer her favorite sport. She played until a knee injury in her sophomore year of high school.
eMjae represented the U.S. at the 2021 World Championships and, when it was time for college, chose to move across the country and attend Cal because Margzetta had done the same, landing at UCLA.
"She's the one who started everything for me,'' eMjae said. "She was the tester for everything. I wanted to be her."
When Cal and UCLA met in February 2023, the first time the Frazier sisters competed against one another, the Los Angeles Times ran a front-page story in its Sports section.
In Margzetta's eyes, her younger sister had passed her.
"If I was half the gymnast as eMjae, I can't even tell you the things I would have accomplished,'' Margzetta said.
The two remain close. While Margzetta's career is over, eMjae is charting a new course with the Gators. Margzetta was at the Auburn meet and helped eMjae devise her floor routine this season.
Rowland is eager to see what Frazier, fueled by a well-rounded skill set and understated approach, does next.
"She's so graceful and just has a fierceness about her that is intimidating, yet so soft and calm,'' Rowland said. "I don't know how to explain it. She exudes confidence and joy, and I really, really love watching her go out there and compete every Friday night in a Gator leotard."
Frazier is having fun doing it. That applause at Spurrier's a few months ago opened her eyes to what she was getting herself into.
"You really have a built-in family here,'' she said. "The fan base is incredible. The community is incredible. I can't get enough of Gainesville and the Florida fans. It's just something I never thought I would experience. I truly just love where I am right now."
