Seniors
1. Kris Shakes (Penn State)
2. Ryan Schewe (Georgetown)
3. Lute Lillo Portero (Omaha, Spain)
4. Josue Hangi (Georgia State)
5. Bryan Dowd (Notre Dame)
6. Wessel Sprangers (Gonzaga, Netherlands)
7. Holden Brown (Virginia)
8. James Lowell (Maryland)
9. Clayton Knibbs (Connecticut)
10. John Harms (Indiana)
11. Sam Fowler (Washington)
12. Carter Abbott (Fordham)
13. Lorenzo Gordon (American)
14. Finn Jurak (Oakland, Australia)
15. Matt Zambetti (UMass)
16. Justin Siegel (Cal Poly)
17. Eoin Gawronski (Long Island)
18. Spencer Catalano (Canisius)
19. Harry Townsend (Missouri State, England)
20. Edmond Kaiser (Stony Brook, Germany)
One to Watch: Josue Hangi. Hangi started his collegiate career at Akron before transferring to Georgia State, where it took until his senior season to finally be named the number one. The Atlanta United product plays like a goalkeeper who has sat for three years: intense but raw at times. His handling isn’t the best and 1v1 approaches are more hopeful than methodical. However, Hangi plays with a level of intensity that embodies the “bet on yourself” and “play like there’s no tomorrow” mantras, which produces saves you simply don’t expect collegiate goalkeepers to pull off. Although the work needed to polish Hangi’s rough edges may scare off some professional sides, the clear upside will likely grab significant attention from sides that want a collegiate goalkeeper who can still develop, not just plateau at the next stage.
Juniors
1. Edu Rodriguez (Rhode Island, Spain)
2. Nathanael Sallah (Omaha, Germany)
3. Will Watson (Princeton)
4. Trace Alphin (Wake Forest)
5. Khamari Hadaway (Princeton)
6. Marc Kouadio (East Tennessee State, Canada)
7. Nate Crockford (Wisconsin)
8. Blake Franzen (Liberty, South Africa)
9. Griffin Huff (Lafayette)
10. Grant Calvert (Belmont)
One to Watch: Will Watson / Khamari Hadaway. What a fun goalkeeping duo. Watson certainly carries the edge in prestige, hailing from FC Dallas’ academy. However, Hadaway - a three-time high school All-American, to be fair - earned the bulk of the starts this year. Watson and Hadaway mirror the common two-goalkeepers-struggling-for-time trope: one is more crafted and consistent (Watson) while the other has the ability to make a legit game-saving moment but is less predictable in performance (Hadaway). There’s likely not a great scenario to leave both goalkeepers happy heading into 2024, as both have shown the ability to play at the level. With Princeton notching their first losing season since 2013 this past fall, neither goalkeeper really has standing to hold down the number one spot but as to how this plays out is anyone’s guess.
Sophomores
1. Jay Hibbert (Connecticut)
2. Logan Erb (San Diego State)
3. Andrew Cordes (North Carolina)
4. Casper Mols (Kentucky, Denmark)
5. Rowan Schnebly (Stanford)
6. Nic Lemen (Northern Kentucky)
7. Alec McLachlan (St. John's, England)
8. Gavin Roberts (Lindenwood)
9. Cabral Carter (Pittsburgh)
10. Jonathan Kliewer (Missouri State)
One to Watch: Logan Erb. Erb had some big shoes to fill after replacing MLS-drafted Jacob Castro and the Dynamo alum did not disappoint. The true sophomore feels akin to a snowball atop a hill: aiming for bigger things but the ultimate ceiling is tough to pin down. Erb is clearly eyeing a professional career but he’ll want to take heed to Castro’s over-reliance on improving a tense moment in the box, which has made the transition to the pro game all the more difficult. At times, Erb looks a little carefree with his movement and footwork, possibly leaning towards the same road Castro ventured down. To pull advice from another sport, Pete Rose told baseball hitters to never change their swing when reaching the pros and the same wisdom can be given to Erb: rely on what’s worked and maintain your blueprint.
Freshmen
1. Julian Eyestone (Duke)
2. Wyatt Nelson (UCLA)
3. Justin Stewart (High Point)
4. Aidan Crawford (Loyola-Chicago)
5. Bennet Glinder (Siena, Germany)
6. Jonathan Munteanu (UAB)
7. Patrick Schott (Belmont, Germany)
8. Seth Wilson (Akron)
9. Jakub Grzesiak (Oral Roberts, Poland)
10. Aaron Salinas (Furman)
One to Watch: Julian Eyestone. Wow, what a class. Every American goalkeeper here has the talent to get to the professional level with the internationals only bolstering the talent level even higher. Eyestone is one of the more obvious “fits the part” college products. The 6’6” FC Dallas prospect will almost certainly not stay at Duke for four years (but if Mark Dodd could do it, perhaps Eyestone can too). And with the rumors of the MLS draft starting to open up to underclassmen, keep an eye out for how few of these goalkeepers end up staying all four years, as the 2026 end-of-season rankings could have an entirely different set of names.
Past Collegiate Goalkeeper Rankings
2023: Preseason
2022: Preseason and Final
2021: Preseason and Final
2020: Preseason and Final
2019: Preseason and Final
2018: Preseason and Final
2017: Preseason and Final
2016: Preseason and Final
2015: Preseason and Final
2014: Preseason and Final