OKLAHOMA CITY — Days after Jordan Chiles became an NCAA champion on floor in the spring of 2023, she already knew what music she wanted to use for her next college routine. She could even imagine the choreography and some of the moves.
There was just one small problem.
Chiles wasn’t sure if he would ever get that chance.
She was planning to finish the 2024 season to focus on making the Olympic team, and she didn’t know what the future held beyond that. He just wasn’t sure if a late return to UCLA was in the cards for his junior season.
But after Chiles, now 23, helped Team USA win gold in Paris, and was unwittingly at the center of a global controversy. Still in contention for a bronze medal on floor, she decided her college career wasn’t over. And after starring on the Gold Over America Tour with his Olympic teammates in the fall, Chiles made his official return to Westwood last month.
It didn’t take long for him to regain his place as one of the NCAA’s best and most dynamic players.
On Saturday, during the Bruins’ second meet of the season and less than two weeks after finalizing the routine with assistant coach B.J. Das, Chili Sprouts went viral almost immediately with their Prince-themed performance at the Farmer’s Market Collegiate Quad. done She earned a perfect 9.975 score, for a routine that featured tricky tumbling and intricate and infectious choreography.
JORDAN CHILES Put a show 🤩 pic.twitter.com/m5ThqTs1zr
— espnW (@espnW) January 12, 2025
“Honestly, when we started working on it, I thought, ‘If I’m coming back, I want to come back with a banger,'” Chiles told ESPN. “I don’t want to come back and be like, ‘Oh hey guys, I’m back.’ No. Who wouldn’t want the best thing for him to be able to sit at a gymnastics meet and eat his popcorn and feel like you’re at his concert?”
Chile didn’t have much left to accomplish at the NCAA level before returning.
During her sophomore season, she won individual NCAA titles on floor and uneven bars, and finished as the all-around runner-up. In two years at the collegiate level, she was a nine-time All-American and earned eight perfect 10.0 scores. Not to mention, she has now won multiple Olympic medals and is a three-time world medalist.
But despite all of that, in addition to her desire to finish her degree, there was something that was pulling Chiles back and she couldn’t shake it.
“I had unfinished business,” Chiles said. “I know you’re probably thinking, ‘Jordan, you have NCAA titles, what do you have left to prove?’ But I want to be able to win Naughty with this team and at least come back with individual titles, I feel something is missing and I know my story is not over.
“Yes, I’ve already done a lot within UCLA, but I feel like there are just things that I can show UCLA and appreciate. [the experience] A little more. I want to be able to leave a legacy at UCLA, just like my other teammates have and continue to represent it in any way I can.”
But while the rest of her Bruin teammates were on campus training together in the fall, Chiles was traveling the country on tour. She stopped by on a few occasions when she had time off, but she was not as focused on her college routine as many of her peers. But because he and Das had started talking about their floor routine more than a year and a half ago, they were able to start brainstorming before actually returning to Chile.
His 2023 routine was set to 1990s hip-hop and was a clear fan favorite. Chiles felt she could take her 2025 edition even further back and “give the older generation something they can enjoy.” Her uncle initially introduced her to Prince’s music when she was young and she also consulted her parents about what they thought of the choice.
He knew he would be welcomed.
“I was like, ‘Are you? Definitely Is this going to happen?'” Chiles said of the conversation. “And he was like, ‘Yeah, 100 percent, yeah.’
Set to a medley of Prince’s hits, Chilli and Das watched YouTube clips of Prince’s performances to determine which moves to use and exactly on which specific beats. Chili returned to campus on Dec. 14 before “Meet the Bruins.” While her teammates were showing off their new routines, Chiles performed parts of her elite routine. Then she officially got down to work.
It took Chili and Das three days to put it together. By the end of this week — with lots of adaptations and training for Chile to get her endurance back to performance-ready levels — it was mostly done. After a short holiday break, the two finalized the routine, just two days before UCLA’s first meets against California and Oregon State on Jan. 4.
“I’m a really fast learner,” Chiles said of the short timetable. “It wasn’t a big deal that I got through my entire routine in three days.”
After the first meet, in which UCLA finished third, Chili couldn’t figure out why her phone was suddenly blowing up with alerts. But he soon found out that the Bruins team account had shared a video of his routine. She was nervous that some people might criticize her choice of music but was thrilled to find that there were no such opinions. Instead, everything he saw was positive — a rarity for online conversations in 2025 — and fans seemed to love the routine.
Because of the early reception, she was excited to perform in Oklahoma City and hoped the audience would dance and sing along.
“It’s like when you go to a concert and because you’ve already seen so many TikToks. [from the tour] You know what song they’re going to perform,” Chiles said. For me, that gives me a little comfort because it’s not just going to be silent. [from the fans] At the beginning and hopefully there will be a lot of energy from the beginning.”
At a team meet dedicated to those affected by the wildfires in Los Angeles, the Bruins won their session with a 197.550 over Kentucky, Ohio State and Arkansas, and Chili won the floor title. It didn’t take long for the routine to gain traction online.
“The choreography, I’m tired of seeing that routine,” former gymnast John Roethlisberger said on an ESPN broadcast. “Just start to finish, performance standards [is] The next level.”
“He was. So joke,” added six-time Olympic medalist Aly Raisman.
But while Chiles is honored to “represent Purple Rain and everything about it,” her biggest goal is to help No. 11-ranked UCLA win the team championship this season. After several tough years for the program, she believes the team has the ability to do just that. Chiles said she was impressed by what she saw in practice and the closeness and camaraderie of everyone on the team.
Head coach Jenelle MacDonald believes Chile is a big reason why the team has so much potential — and is a key component of the team’s inclusive and supportive culture.
“She’s only been back with us for a couple of weeks, but she has the ability to elevate a room around her,” McDonald told ESPN on Friday. “She brings that energy and that passion to the table every day that inspires those around her. And this year it’s been great to see her take all of her experiences and take that into a leadership role.” But the last few weeks have seen all those moments where he kind of stepped in and talked to people to help their mindset and their confidence.
“It’s a testament to her character and her love for this game and this team that she wants to come in and make that positive change and make a positive impact right out of the gate.”