Thank you for joining me for another NCAA Men’s College Soccer season preview, where we take a deep dive into some of the academy’s graduates and former prospects as they continue to pursue their passion for soccer at the collegiate level. Over the last seven years at DirtySouthSoccer and Scarves and Spikes, we tracked the progress of former Atlanta United Academy players across the remarkable oddity that is American men’s college soccer with its countdown clock, basketball-style substitutions, and decades-old storylines that have outlasted every professional league in our country.
This year, men’s college soccer continues its realignment to something resembling the professional game, redefining Division I men’s soccer as one of the premier U-23 leagues in the United States. The Atlantic Coast Conference and the B1G Conference are already heading that way. It remains to be seen how other conferences will adapt to major changes to eligibility, the internal transfer system supercharged by NIL money, and an upcoming calendar shift that will extend the college soccer season from August to May. It remains to be seen how feasible this will be for many of the smaller programs that share facilities with other sports, or do not have staff under contract for full 12-month cycles, so this could lead to a growing gap between the biggest programs and the small schools. Meanwhile, the growth of 4th division amateur teams in college towns like Vermont Green has captured the energy of the World Cup with standing-room-only crowds excited to watch some of college soccer’s best players face off.
New Professionals
Before we dive into this year’s pool of college prospects, let’s take a moment to celebrate a few who made the jump to the professional game.
With the 15th pick in the MLS SuperDraft, the Portland Timbers selected former Atlanta United 2 midfielder and leader for Georgia State and NC State, Justin McLean. McLean signed with Timbers 2 through the end of the season alongside former Atlanta United Academy attacker Benjamin Barjolo. McLean has not yet made his debut for Timbers 2.
Nigel Prince joined the Nashville SC organization with an invitation to their preseason. Prince signed with Huntsville City, where he has played nearly 1,200 minutes across 17 matches (11 starts). Nashville is a great place for a young defender to develop, so we hope Prince has every opportunity to pursue his professional dreams in their system.
Cristiano Bruletti joined the Vancouver Whitecaps, signing with Vancouver 2 during the preseason. After a long and successful college career from Atlanta United 2 to the University of South Carolina to the University of Indiana, Bruletti became a well-rounded central midfielder and on-field leader. In his first season of professional soccer, Bruletti has played primarily as a deep-lying facilitator in the Vancouver midfield, anchoring the #6 position for 1,500 minutes across 19 matches (18 starts), and was named team captain. Vancouver has a great track record of developing former college players into impact players for its impressive MLS squad.
After several unsuccessful SuperDrafts, Andrew De Gannes signed his first professional contract with St. Louis City 2. Fans may remember De Gannes as Atlanta United 2’s other left-back alongside Caleb Wiley. The former Trinidad & Tobago Youth International has plenty of talent of his own and has the opportunity to show his versatility as a left-back and centerback. So far, De Gannes has played nearly 1,250 minutes across 18 matches (13 starts).
Next Homegrown?
Atlanta United will keep a close eye on two compelling defensive prospects this college season who have both continued training with the club in the offseason and who could add key depth along the back line as the club undergoes a roster reset.
Braden Dunham is one of the most exciting players in college soccer. Ahead of his second year with Furman, Dunham was named to the US Soccer Coaches preseason players to watch list and is the only college player on the United States U-19 team currently in the finals for the CONCACAF U-20 Championship. Dunham showcased his elevated level of talent as a defender as the left centerback for Furman last season. Formerly appearing as a left back for Atlanta United 2 and as a right centerback for the U-19s, Dunham has the kind of versatility that gets him on the field and in positions to make an impact on both sides of the ball. He has a cannon for a leg with strong passing accuracy and range, and the confidence to be the guy that his team builds through in possession. To continue improving his passing and mobility, Dunham spent some time as a 6 this summer with SSA Swarm in USL League Two.
On defense, Dunham has a lot of speed, strength, and positional awareness to keep the game in front of him and command the box. His outstanding freshman season earned him 2025 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year honors along with the #2-ranked freshman in the country by Top Drawer Soccer. As a centerback, Dunham scored 7 goals and added 3 assists across 23 starts (2,093 minutes) and was part of a defense that held opposing teams to just 22 goals in 23 matches. Dunham doesn’t have a lot left to prove in college, so Atlanta would be wise to bring him back on a Homegrown Player contract.
Remi Okunlola has done just about everything he could at Clemson ahead of his senior season. The versatile right-sided defender has been a mainstay for one of the most consistently high-achieving college programs in the country. He has played as a right back in back-3 and back-4 alignments, as a wingback, a right midfielder, a right centerback, and even as a wing. If you need a capable two-way player on the right flank of your formation, Okunlola could be your guy. An injury limited his availability to just 16 matches (15 starts) last season, but he still had his best statistical season so far with Clemson, with 8 assists. Okunlola is far from a one-note assist-creating fullback.
He can go to the end line and whip a cross, can cut back and find the trailing run, can split lines with a perfectly weighted worm-burner of a pass, and can rip a rocket of a cross from the top corner to the 18-yard box to his opposite counterpart at the back post. Okunlola is a fearless defender and an on-field leader. As Atlanta United reassesses their backline depth and 2s leadership next season, Okunlola is absolutely the kind of player they could consider. Arif Kovac would be thrilled by that signing.
The one guy I’d be remiss to not include here as a potential 2s signing is the University of Virginia’s ever-reliable Brendan Lambe. Lambe was a regular for Atlanta United 2 while they were still playing against USL competition. His former teammates and academy mates Will Reilly and Ajani Fortune have made their mark back with their parent club, and it would be fitting for Lambe to join them. Lambe is a gifted passer with strong ball retention skills in Virginia’s midfield. When he’s on the field, the game flows through him, often leading his team in touches and passes, and often passing or receiving the ball from every teammate on the pitch. Like Dunham and Okunlola, the club has kept a close eye on his progress since he departed for the now-dormant North Carolina FC ahead of his college career.
A broken toe limited his time on the field last year after an exceptional start. He finished the season with 6 starts in 9 appearances with just under 500 minutes. Everything looked like it was coming together for Lambe as he scored a game-winning goal against Stetson, but an unlucky stomp by an opposing defender halted his momentum before he could build on it. Lambe spent this off-season with Vermont Green and in the small-pitch TST 7v7 tournament preparing for his most important college season yet.
Top Teams
The first team rankings are here, and former Atlanta United products are on 3 of the top-11 teams (4 if you include Rocket Ritarita and Maryland).
Furman leads the group as the third-ranked team nationally, according to United Soccer Coaches. That is largely thanks to several key returning players like Braden Dunham and midfield leader Luke Hutzell. Hutzell joined several top college products to train with the 2s at the beginning of the summer ahead of his junior season. Hutzell is a gifted central midfielder capable of playing as a 6 and an 8. His 5 goals and 5 assists across 22 matches as a starter are even more impressive considering that he spends a lot of time in possession either right in front of or in between his centerbacks. His flashiest moment was probably the karate kick goal in the final minutes of the College Cup against Washington.
Hutzell finished the season as part of the All-Tournament Team alongside Dunham. Furman is also home to former Atlanta United fullback and wide midfielder Malachi Grant and newly-arrived forward Mason Peacock. After playing in every single match of his freshman season in 2024, Grant saw his minutes fall off a cliff last season. He will likely try to get back on track in his junior campaign. Mason Peacock joins Furman after an impressive run as a forward with Atlanta United’s Academy. He will likely have to start his time in college as a backup for Wilfer Bustamante, but there could be opportunities as a second forward or as a wide forward depending on how the tactics shake out under the new coaching staff led by Brandon Tucker.
Portland begins its season as the 6th-ranked team in the country. Sophomore right-back Ayo Akintobi got a few opportunities to make cameos in 8 matches during his first season. He has the talent to be an impact two-way right-back at the college level, so we will see whether he can break out this year. Former Haitian Youth International midfielder Julian Bretous is still waiting for his debut. After a quiet freshman season, Bretous has not yet shown how the intriguing but highly specific form of defensive midfielder he represents can translate to the next level. He is a tough and relentless defender with the instincts of a destroyer and a growing capacity to shape the match with the ball at his feet. A lot of college soccer is wide open play, so a player capable of isolating and putting opposing 10s in a phone booth would be a real asset.
The University of Virginia rounds out this list as the 11th-ranked team. We have already talked about Brendan Lambe, who returns with several midfield and defensive partners. One player who (like Lambe) saw an injury disrupt his season before it could take off is Stephen Hurlock. Hurlock is a tall and quick wide attacking player who could be a highly dangerous and dynamic offensive force when he puts it all together. After waiting the entire season for his moment, he suffered a crunching tackle from an SMU defender in the College Tournament within seconds of substituting on and was carted off the pitch. The real shame of it is that he was making an exceptional run up the right flank of the pitch when it happened and the opposing player received only a simple caution. Hurlock will want a fresh start after a full offseason training program to showcase his ability to take over a game. With UVA’s star attacker Nicholas Simmonds now playing in MLS NEXT Pro, Hurlock will have a golden opportunity to step directly into that role.
New In Town
The most intriguing transfer of the offseason for Atlanta United’s prospects came from defender Miles Hadley. After two standout seasons at Army, Hadley moved up to the big leagues with a transfer to Wake Forest. After departing Atlanta United 2, Hadley stepped right into the Army starting backline, shifting from right back to centerback and anchoring a stout defensive unit. Hadley started all 34 matches (2,500 minutes) in his first two seasons, helping Army earn 8 clean sheets in the 2025 campaign. If he can translate that success to Coach Bobby Muuss’s system at Wake Forest, he could quickly transition from an under-the-radar transfer to a lot of teams’ SuperDraft scouting lists.
Big Reuben Clarson has been an exceptional third goalkeeper for Atlanta United 2 over the last two seasons. When he has played, he has looked solid, even deserving of a 2s contract, but he is stuck in the shadow of Canadian Youth International Jonathan Ransom and US Youth International James Donaldson, who will both become Homegrown Players in 2027. It is Reuben’s turn to be “the guy,” and Cornell University might be just the place. His primary competition is Filip Versterre, a recent transfer from the University of South Carolina. The Copenhagen-born goalkeeper started every match for South Carolina in his first two seasons there, so he will be a good challenge for Reuben as he seeks to become the first choice.
After impressing fans and coaches in his 2s cameos, Ilan Ettinger joins former Atlanta United products Dillon Griner and Bains Smith at the University of Kentucky. Kentucky is generally slow to integrate freshmen into the starting line-up, so it will be highly impressive if Ettinger can take the confidence and momentum from his Spring with the 2s into his first college season. Ettinger is a highly versatile defender capable of playing across the back line and as a holding midfielder. His game features a lot of athleticism, physicality, and quick, accurate passing emblematic of the Academy’s current style of play. Kentucky has a brutal schedule this year with matchups against ACC teams, Ohio State, Indiana, Marshall, and West Virginia. Such a grueling schedule could open up opportunities for a versatile player to make his mark.
That wraps up the 2026 college soccer preview. We will be back later in November and December to see how these players are doing and who may have emerged from the rest of the pool to have a chance to advance to the pro game. In the meantime, let us know which of these players you are looking forward to watching this Fall and who you think may have the best chance of starting his professional career back in Atlanta.
Atlanta United would be foolish not to offer Okunlola a Homegrown contract. The consistency and versatility this kid displays every time he steps on the pitch is top-notch. He’s a workhorse, not just a flash in the pan. But nothing AU does or doesn’t do can surprise me anymore.
would be nice to bring in Dunham to get some depth on our backline