30 Charlotte FC Academy graduates have earned college opportunities in the last four years

By Brian Maurer

Charlotte FC announced its 2026 Academy graduating class on Tuesday, with a total of 15 players completing their studies. It was Charlotte's largest graduating class to date.

Generally, many stories about academy graduates get overlooked when it comes to MLS pro player pathways, as the focus from fans and media is predominantly on the "pro" part.

It makes sense. There will always be far more excitement around a prospect like Nimfasha Berchimas, who gets headlines for training at massive clubs like Manchester United or Bayern Munich. But the prospects like Berchimas are few and far between. Midfielder Aron John is only the fourth academy graduate to sign a first-team contract with the Crown in five seasons. Those opportunities are rare and exciting; hence the headlines.

What is also worth headlining is that the Charlotte FC Academy just had a graduating class that included 60% commits to Division I schools. With the nine players who committed to the college pathway this year, the club is averaging over seven per year since 2023 (30 total in that time).

The Academy provided a professional environment, and many of the players found a way to earn a next opportunity for themselves, even if it's not directly to the pros.

Here is a list of the nine Charlotte FC Academy graduates who have committed to college in the fall:

Jaydus Camacho - Dayton

Cristian Chamorro - Holy Cross

Isaias Elizalde - UNC Charlotte

Kai Longanecker - UCF

Steven Rivas - Longwood

Matteo Saffer - UC San Diego

Jackson Smith - NC State

Quinn Syrett - Wake Forest

Simon Tonidandel - Pittsburgh

Here are the other six graduates who will be taking a gap year:

Landon Alepa - CLTFC Academy

Ethan Curtis - Crown Legacy FC

Pete Fotinos - Queen City Mutiny

Xavier Krause - Queen City Mutiny

Malcolm Morris - CLTFC Academy

Sebastian Ventura - Crown Legacy FC