As Jay Clark sits on the cool waters of the Gulf of Mexico this weekend, he’ll have a lot to contemplate.

Clark is now the head coach of a Georgia gymnastics program fresh off a fifth-straight NCAA championship and an emotional goodbye to Suzanne Yoculan, the program’s face for 26 years.

The long-time assistant will be attending his first SEC head coaches meeting today in Birmingham. But after that he’s Gulf-bound for a fishing trip to “get his head clear” before he undertakes the duties of overseeing a gymnastics juggernaut.

“I may be the only guy right now who would take this job,” Clark said Tuesday. “But I embrace it. It’s been a dream job, and it’s been something for a long time that I knew if I ever had the opportunity I would want. You never envision it coming on the heels of five national championships in a row, but it is what it is.”

Yoculan’s illustrious career doesn’t officially end until her contract expires July 1, but today marks the start of a two-month process that will see more responsibilities pushed Clark’s way.

When he returns from his quest for redfish on Monday, Clark will lead his first end of the year meeting with those Gym Dogs returning for yet another title defense in 2010.

After 17 years as an assistant coach under Yoculan’s tutelage, the pressure to maintain the level of excellence will be firmly on Clark’s shoulders. But pressure is not a new thing to anyone who’s been around Georgia gymnastics for more than a few minutes.

“I think expectation is the most appropriate word because there’s expectation from the administration, there’s expectation from the fans,” he said.

“But really none of that is matched by the expectation that I have for myself and for the program. And the kids have the same expectation. There couldn’t have been any more pressure than there was Friday night [at the Super Six], when you’re going for your fifth in a row and the whole world wants you to lose.”

Clark’s first duty will be to find another assistant coach. His wife, Julie, will remain in the volunteer assistant position she’s occupied for eight years (at least until their children, 3 and 6, get a little older, Clark said) and Doug McGavin will be back for his 25th season as an assistant.

Clark is not a former gymnast (he called himself “a frustrated football and baseball player” who got to know some of the gymnasts as a Georgia student and slowly got more involved).

And his personality is a far cry from Yoculan’s perpetual flair for the flamboyant.

He has a reputation as a fiery but consistently optimistic coach, something that will have to change, at least a little, in his new role.

“I can still be happy-go-lucky as long as they’re doing their job,” Clark said. “If they’re not, then they’re going to get a mirror reflection of exactly what they give … And it’s going to take some time. When a dynamic changes like that . it’s a touchy little thing. You’ve got to be careful that you don’t all of a sudden flip the switch on them and you’re a totally different person than they’ve ever known.”

Clark’s transition eventually will include a move from his own humble office to Yoculan’s larger and more extravagant one – but he’s not in any hurry.

“She’s like, ‘I’ll move out of the office right now if you want,’ but there’s really no hurry,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, I can stay in this office and be just fine.”