The University of Akron Athletics
Men's Soccer Announces Newcomers Ahead of the 2026 Season
August 01 | Men's Soccer
AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron men's soccer squad under the leadership of 14th-year head coach Jared Embick, has announced a talented 16-member newcomer class that will hit the pitch for the Zips during the 2026 campaign.
Donning the Akron uniform this fall will be Benji Jonas Atiabou (Salzburg, Austria), Sam Bunch (Brussels, Belgium), Ivory Covington (Lilburn, Ga.), Calan DeWalt (Dublin, Ohio), Ioannis Gazis (Attica, Greece), Cole Perez (Orange Park, Fla.), Kael Taylor (Olathe, Kan.), Austin Thum (El Dorado Hills, Calif.), Francisco Tolaba (Buenos Aires, Argentina) and Francesco Tricarico (Cerignola, Italy).
The duo is part of Akron's 2026 signing class joining six members in Aiden Benitez (Westfield, Ind.), Nolan McGuire (St. Louis, Mo.), Leo Morana (Strongsville, Ohio), Londen Sears (New Albany, Ohio), Noa Testa (La Sarraz, Switzerland) and Kam Warnke (Aurora, Ohio) who joined the Akron squad in January.
"We are very happy with our signing class," said Embick. "This season we return a lot of minutes, and we needed a talented group of players that have the potential to help contribute right away. We really wanted to focus on the internal competition for playing time. I believe the best way to fight against complacency is for every player to compete for starts and playing time every day in training and games. I feel we accomplished that, but what excites me most is this class has a lot of character. Many of the guys have been captains and leaders on their previous teams so we will be adding a lot of personality to the team. It is important that we have guys that can help contribute to our success now and players that we can pass the torch to and know that we will be able to continue our pursuit of excellence."
A native of Salzburg, Austria, Atiabou, a defender, comes to Akron after gaining valuable playing experience with Werder Bremen and Red Bull Salzburg. He was a member of Austrian U15/16/18 youth championships squads while garnering a runner-up finish at the UEFA Youth League Championships during the 2021-22 campaign.
A native of Brussels, Belgium, Bunch, a defender, comes to Akron after gaining valuable playing experience with Leuven and Pafos FC.
A native of Lilburn, Ga., Covington, a forward, comes to Akron after gaining valuable playing experience with the Atlanta United Academy where he registered a combined goal/assist total of 238, including training with Atlanta United 2. He earned a call up with
the U15 USYNT during his prep career, while helping lead his team to a berth in the U16 MLS Cup and a semifinalist appearance with his U15 squad. Additionally, he sparked his team to a U14 title at the Patterson Cup. A three-star recruit according to TopDrawerSoccer.com, Covington is the 150th-rated overall prospect in the country, the 45th-rated forward and No. 9 player in the South Atlantic region.
A native of Dublin, Ohio, DeWalt, a defender, was a three-year letterwinner at Dublin Jerome High School. He led his squad to the first state title (D1) in program history as a senior, while recording a pair of goals and anchoring a defense that posted 13 shutouts. He garnered All-America, All-Ohio and All-Region accolades over his prep career en route to being named the Conference Player of the Year. A three-star recruit according to TopDrawerSoccer.com, he rated as the No. 37 prospect in the Great Lakes Region. He gained valuable playing experience with Ohio Premier.
A native of Attica, Greece, Gazis, a defender, comes to Akron after gaining valuable playing experience with Panathinaikos FC.
A native of Orange Park, Fla., Perez, a defender, was a two-year letterwinner at Oakleaf High School, where he played as a freshman and sophomore. A First-Team All-County selection as a sophomore, he helped his squad capture a district title and finished his prep career registering nine goals and 20 assists. A three-star recruit according to TopDrawerSoccer.com, he gained valuable playing experience with Jacksonville Armada.
A native of Olathe, Kan., Taylor, a goalkeeper, was a two-year letterwinner at Olathe West High School, where he played as a freshman and sophomore. A two-time All-Conference selection, he garnered First-Team All-State and All-Conference accolades as a sophomore en route to being tabbed as his league's Goalkeeper of the Year and Allstate Kansas Goalkeeper of the Year as a sophomore. He helped lead his team to 2022 and 2023 national championships and was rewarded as a 2022 Golden Glove Award recipient. A three-star recruit according to TopDrawerSoccer.com, he is rated as the No. 19 prospect in the Heartland Region, and gained valuable playing experience with Sporting KC.
A native of El Dorado Hills, Calif., Thum, a defender, comes to Akron after gaining valuable playing experience at Sacramento Republic. A three-star recruit according to TopDrawerSoccer.com, he is rated as the No. 10 prospect in the Northern California/Hawaii Region.
A native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tolaba, a midfielder, comes to Akron after playing a season ago at Long Island. He appeared in 17 games en route to recording two goals and a pair of assists on the strength of 18 shots, including 11 on goal. He started his collegiate career at St. Thomas University where he played in 17 games, including 14 starts in 2024 en route to registering five goals and three assists posting 42 shots, with 13 on goal. He garnered All-Tournament accolades for the Sun Conference in 2024 and the Northeast Conference in 2025.
A native of Cerignola, Italy, Tricarico, a goalkeeper, comes to Akron after playing a season ago at Biola University. He appeared in 16 games, including 15 starts, en route to recording 48 saves and posting three overall shutouts (two solo). He came to Biola after being a member of the Iowa Western CC squad that captured the 2024 NJCAA Division I national title (23-0-2) and being named the Most Valuable Player at the national championships. He started all 25 games for the Reivers and registered 57 saves en route to collecting a 0.84 goals against average. He gained valuable playing experience with Audace Cerignola.
2026 Akron Men's Soccer Signing Class
Benji Jonas Atiabou, D, 5-11, Fr., Salzburg, Austria (Vocational School of Business and Competitive Sports of the AK Salzburg)
Aiden Benitez, F, 5-9, So., Westfield, Ind. (Blue Valley West/Butler)
Sam Bunch, D, 5-10, Fr., Brussels, Belgium (KA Redingenhof Leuven)
Ivory Covington, F, 5-9, Fr., Lilburn, Ga. (Atlanta United Academy)
Calan DeWalt, D, 6-0, Fr., Dublin, Ohio (Dublin Jerome)
Ioannis Gazis, D, 6-0, Fr., Attica, Greece (Panathinaikos FC)
Nolan McGuire, D, 5-9, Jr., St. Louis, Mo. (St. Louis City/DePaul)
Leo Morana, MF, 6-0, Fr., Strongsville, Ohio (Strongsville)
Cole Perez, D, 6-4, Fr., Orange Park, Fla. (Oakleaf)
Londen Sears, MF/D, 6-2, Fr., New Albany, Ohio (New Albany)
Kael Taylor, GK, 6-2, Fr., Olathe, Kan. (Olathe West)
Noa Testa, MF, 5-8, Fr., La Sarraz, Switzerland (Lausanne Sport)
Austin Thum, MF, 5-10, Fr., El Dorado Hills, Calif. (Oak Ridge)
Francisco Tolaba, MF, 5-9, Sr. Buenos Aires, Argentina (Santa Catalina/St. Thomas (Fla.)/ Long Island)
Francesco Tricarico, GK, 6-1, Sr., Cerignola, Italy (Augusto Righi/Iowa Western CC/Biola)
Kam Warnke, D, 5-10, Fr., Aurora, Ohio (Aurora)
