ATL UTD Academy celebrates 2024 graduates

Atlanta United’s Academy celebrated another class of college-bound seniors at the 2024 National Signing Day Ceremony at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground with 10 players set to join Division 1 college programs this fall. These 10 players bring the total number of Academy graduates to sign with Division 1 programs to 79 overall, with several more pursuing their collegiate careers in the lower divisions.

This class also saw several players opt for the professional pathway. Noah Cobb is the sole Homegrown Player signing of the group with Brayan Gomez, Axel Hermenegildo and Juan Hermenegildo pursuing their careers outside of the United States.

“On behalf of our Academy staff and everyone at Atlanta United, we are proud of this exceptional group of young men and excited for them to continue their careers at the collegiate and professional levels,” said Director of Methodology Javier Perez.

This strong class will make an early impact in college competition. Goalkeepers Kyle Jansen and Nash Skogland are bound for competitive programs in Syracuse and the University of South Carolina, respectively. The third keeper in this class will join the highly prestigious program at Wake Forest where former Academy graduates like Machop Chol, Garrison Tubbs, Takuma Suzuki, and Omar Hernandez made their mark.

This class will also add to the list of prospects signing with United States service academies with centerback Miles Hadley heading to West Point and Oliver Wagner bound for Colorado Spring to join the Air Force Academy.

After a strong season with the U-19s, Luke Hutzell will join Furman University and his fellow midfielder Campbell Reece will join the Ivy League at Cornell. Pavel Romero, who featured for the 2s in 2023, will state in the Atlanta area to play for Georgia State.

North Carolina-native Michael Howard will join Brendan Lambe and Amari Salley at the University of Virginia where he will hope to translate his strong play at the forward position into UVA’s potent offense.

Finally, forward Gabe Nickerson will join Skogland and Tony Annan at the University of South Carolina, which has become an increasingly attractive option for many of Atlanta United’s former academy players.

Congratulations to all of these student athletes on beginning the new phase of their careers. A marked increase in talent, coaching, and attractiveness of the MLS Superdraft has caused the conversation around the college game to shift over the last few years with it once-again becoming a viable pathway to the pros.