On the first day of Christmas Ultiworld gave to me...the top prospects of the 2025 season!
December 12, 2025 by TJ Lee and Alex Rubin in Preview
Ultiworld’s coverage of the 2026 college season is presented by Spin Ultimate; all opinions are those of the author(s). Find out how Spin can get you, and your team, looking your best this season.
It’s time to unwrap some presents as we introduce the 12 Days of College Ultimate. For the next 12 days, we will be releasing one gift per day, though don’t count on getting any holiday fowl: it’s all college ultimate. From highlight videos to player chatter to a season predictions, we’ve got a little something for everyone. On the first day of the 12 Days of College Ultimate, we highlight some of the top new recruits joining the ranks of college ultimate.
With the recent-year spread of high-level youth ultimate across the continent, the formula for collegiate program success increasingly leans on recruiting alongside player development. More and more, talented players hit the ground running to make an immediate impact on the team. Who are these players? Which programs are poised to benefit? What should we expect to see on the field?
The list that follows is hardly comprehensive. With so many star youth players set to make college debuts, how can it be? Nor is it a ranking. Think of it as a taste of the future and a conversation starter to introduce just a few of the players we’ll be talking about for years to come. And if your favorite prospect or school doesn’t appear below – sorry UC Santa Cruz, Wisconsin, Michigan, Vermont, Oregon, and at least a dozen others – it’s also an excuse to hype them up on socials with the appropriate amount of all-in-good-fun indignation.
So, let’s get to know a few of the fresh names likely to have an outsized effect on college ultimate in 2026.
D-I Men’s
Sam McCrory (UMass Zoodisc)
Continuing a trend of high-level recruiting, UMass Zoodisc reloaded once again entering the 2026 season. Adding to their existing talent, Sam McCrory is the type of player who can fit in anywhere. The DEVYL product projects as a talented matchup defender who’ll be able to bolster the counterattack. With UFA experience playing on last season’s New York Empire, McCrory should have no problem adapting to the physicality of the college game. In many ways, UMass is a perfect fit for McCrory. A well-balanced young player joins a well balanced team that is eager to give up-and-coming talent a major role; it’s easy to see both McCrory and UMass thrive this season.
Stefan McCall (Georgia Tech A Tribe Called Tech)
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Georgia Tech is bringing in a highly touted rookie who is sure to be an instant impact offensive addition for Tribe. Like Sam Grossberg last year, Stefan McCall joins Georgia Tech with plenty of high-level experience and a desire to bring the program back to Nationals for the first time since the 2012 heyday of Nick Lance. A offensive pacesetter for Team USA U20 and as a YCC champion, McCall’s game is well rounded enough that he also played eight games last season on the D-line for the Oakland Spiders in the UFA1. With McCall on board now, Georgia Tech is looking closer and closer to a Nationals lock.
Sarek Mallareddy (Carleton CUT)
McCall’s YCC and Team USA teammate Sarek Mallareddy is taking a different approach to his undergraduate education, teaming up with last season’s champions Carleton CUT. Mallareddy’s game is a perfect fit for the CUT offense that could be called a “cutter’s paradise.” Adept at finding open space downfield, Mallareddy can make contested catches and rip continuation hucks like he was built in a lab to play alongside Declan Miller, Ellis Newhouse, and Nobi Lorenz. Daniel Chen graduated after last season, and Mallareddy appeared this fall ready to fill in his spot and help CUT try to become the division’s first repeat champions since UNC in 2023.
D-I Women’s
Chloe Hakimi (Carleton Syzygy)
There’s simply too many recent accolades Hakimi has earned to list them all here, but for now I’ll bring up throwing the second most assists for Team USA Mixed U24. Expect Carleton to remain a title contender while Hakimi continues the great Seattle-Carleton pipeline.
Grace Liu (British Columbia Thunderbirds)
The defending national champions have picked up a new star in Grace Liu. From going to Club Nationals with Vancouver Traffic the last two years to making semifinals with Team Canada U24, Liu is ready to start her college career with a title.
ZsaZsa Gelfand (Cal Poly-SLO SLO MOTION)
Leading Team USA women’s in assists at U24s last summer was no easy feat, yet Gelfand was up to the task. After attending Nationals for the first time last season, Cal Poly-SLO should turn into a regular at the big show with Gelfand around.
D-III Men’s
Carlos Sofge-Osorio (Oberlin Flying Horsecows)
Combining a background that saw him total over 30 scores the last two years at YCCs with NYC Third Rail and spend the fall on the football team, Sofge-Osorio is ready to fully commit to ultimate and get Oberlin back in bid-earning contention.
D-III Women’s
Cate Talabere (Lewis & Clark Artemis)
After helping Oregon make it to two YCC finals (Landslide mixed in 2023, Downpour girl’s in 2025), Talabere is ready to take their talents to Lewis & Clark, a defending semifinalist that will be looking for a star to fill the big shoes lost to graduation.
And his 11A/5G/8B stat line is very good for a UFA D-liner ↩
