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Nashville SC signs defender Chris Applewhite to homegrown player contract
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- Nashville SC signs defender Chris Applewhite to homegrown player contract
Nashville SC announced the signing of defender Chris Applewhite to a homegrown player contract on Wednesday.
Applewhite, 17, is the third homegrown signing in NSC history, joining striker Adem Sipić and midfielder Isaiah Jones . Last season, the 6-foot-2, 182-pound center back was named an MLS Next Pro All-Star with Huntsville City FC as well as Nashville SC 's academy player of the year.
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Applewhite's contract runs through the 2027 season with options for 2028 and 2029.
"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," Nashville SC general manager Mike Jacobs said in a team release. "He has a high ceiling as a player, and we are excited about his future."
Nashville SC signed defender Chris Applewhite to a homegrown player contract through the 2027 season, the club announced.
Applewhite made a strong impression with Huntsville, Nashville's MLS Next Pro affiliate, in 2024 as one of the youngest players in the league. He played in 20 games, starting 18, and had an assist in 1,436 minutes of action.
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"I am extremely grateful to sign my first professional contract with Nashville SC," Applewhite said. "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."
Originally from the Washington, D.C., area, Applewhite joined the Nashville SC academy after a tryout two years ago. His father Chiron played football at Grambling State as a quarterback for legendary coach Eddie Robinson, and his sister Jaida Hendricks played soccer at Howard.
MORE: Nashville SC's 2025 schedule released, including Decision Day game vs. Lionel Messi's Inter Miami
Applewhite is a cousin of former Ole Miss safety A.J. Moore, who played in the NFL for the Houston Texans, New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans between 2018-22.
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Applewhite joins a Nashville defense led by two-time MLS Defender of the Year Walker Zimmerman at center back. Daniel Lovitz and Jack Maher are both going into their sixth seasons with the club and are likely starters at left back and center back, respectively.
Center back Josh Bauer and left back Taylor Washington also return, though Nashville traded away Lukas MacNaughton ( D.C. United ) and Shaq Moore ( FC Dallas ) this offseason. The Moore trade could open the door for 22-year-old Julian Gaines to start at right back.
While Applewhite is unlikely to be a major contributor at the MLS level in 2025, he'll train periodically with the first team in Nashville while receiving regular playing time in Huntsville, similar to Sipić and Jones.
"Chris is a mature, talented, intelligent, hard-working soccer player and an even better person," said Nashville SC director of methodology Rumba Munthali, who acted as the club's interim coach last season. "He is one of the most intrinsically motivated young professionals I have had the pleasure of coaching, and he excels at breaking lines and advancing the ball to start the attack. His drive, determination, and focus are second to none, which is why I am so excited not just about the player he is right now but about the player and leader he wants to become."
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Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville SC signs homegrown defender Chris Applewhite
