NASHVILLE – Reaching into its academy and MLS NEXT Pro ranks, Nashville SC signed defender Chris Applewhite to a first team contract as a homegrown player through the 2027 Major League Soccer season with options for 2028 and 2029.
The third homegrown player to join the MLS side, Applewhite joins Isaiah Jones and Adem Sipić as homegrown players on the club’s senior team roster for the 2025 MLS season.
“Chris has been exceptional during his experiences in our academy and this past season with Huntsville City FC, and his outstanding play and professional mentality at each level along the way has seen him earn this opportunity with our first team,” said Nashville SC General Manager Mike Jacobs. “He has a high ceiling as a player, and we are excited about his future.”
Applewhite joined the Nashville SC Academy’s U17 squad as a 15-year-old in 2022 and was named Academy Player of the Year in 2024. He was the youngest player to start a match for Huntsville City Football Club on March 16, 2024.
In addition to appearing in 20 matches with 18 starts for Huntsville in 2024, Applewhite was named to the 2024 MLS NEXT All-Star Game presented by Allstate as one of only 44 All Stars chosen from a pool of more than 5,000 eligible players born between 2007 and 2009.
“I am extremely grateful to sign my first professional contract with Nashville SC,” said Applewhite. “I couldn’t have reached this point without God, my family, my coaches, and my teammates, and I am excited to be a part of this club.”
Hailing from Waldorf, Md., Applewhite comes from an athletic family – his father Chiron played football at Grambling State University; his sister Jaida played soccer at Howard University; and cousins who played in the NFL including safety A.J. Moore who had a stint with the Tennessee Titans in 2022.
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