This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

Another Big Week for St. Edward Soccer Alum, This Time Off the Pitch

Former Eagle Darlington Nagbe is finalist for college soccer's highest award and the projected top pick in MLS SuperDraft.

Before Darlington Nagbe played one minute of soccer for , just about everybody on campus knew he was good. But until his one season on the pitch with the Eagles, until he showed off his body control and his balance and his speed, nobody knew he was special.

And even then, nobody knew how special he would become.

"When he transferred in, he was still the best kid in his age group," St. Edward coach Tony Doré said. "But kids peak at different times. He just continued to get better every year."

Find out what's happening in Lakewoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

By the end of the week, he could be the best.

Nagbe, a junior midfielder for the University of Akron, is one of three finalists for the Hermann Trophy, the top honor in college soccer, which will be awarded Friday night by the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis. The Hermann is billed as the Heisman Trophy of college soccer, and though there will be no television coverage of the event and limited coverage in any medium, this is the pinnacle for any college player. 

Find out what's happening in Lakewoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

If Nagbe does cap his college career with the Hermann Trophy in his hands, he will be what is believed to be the first St. Edward alum to win the top college award in any sport, athletics director Paul Michalko said. Former Ohio State quarterback and Heisman winner Troy Smith came the closest. He attended St. Edward for three years, but transferred prior to his senior year. 

"We haven't had anybody win an award," Michalko said. "You really need that special player on the right team, and everything has to go right. We knew how good he was, but we didn't know how good he was on that big of a scale."

No matter what happens Friday, a memorable month for Nagbe will only be etched more deeply next week during the Major League Soccer SuperDraft, during which he is expected to be selected first overall. After that, with a spot in the elite Generation Adidas program reserved for top American talent, the possibilities are limitless.

There is no doubt now that Nagbe is a special player. Perhaps there was after he moved with his family nine years ago from Liberia, where his father, Joe, played for the national soccer team, a good foundation for any young player. Or when he played well for two seasons at  before he transferred to St. Edward, where he sat out his junior year because of OHSSA transfer rules. But when he hit the pitch again, his improvement dazzled.

During his senior season, he was ranked among the top 25 high school recruits in the nation. The next year, as a freshman at the University of Akron, he was voted to the first team in the Mid-American Conference. Then, as a sophomore, he landed on the all-America second team. And this year, he finished seventh in the country with 13 assists, was named the conference player of the year, jumped to the all-America first team and helped the Zips win their first national championship in any sport.

Now the Hermann Trophy ceremony and the draft beckon. In a perfect world, Nagbe would cradle another trophy in his hands, then smile for a bank of cameras when his name is called first before all other amateur players. Will that happen? The experts think it will.

"He could go down as one of the elite athletes to ever come out of St. Ed's," Doré said. "And he has to be one of the best soccer players to ever come out of Cleveland."

MORE NAGBE COVERAGE TO COME

Read Patch on Friday for the full story of Darlington Nagbe at the Hermann Trophy ceremony and check back throughout next week for updates on where he lands in the MLS SuperDraft.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?