CLEMSON, S.C. — Major League Soccer announced that Clemson defenders Joey Skinner and Hamady Diop have signed Generation adidas contracts. Natives of Charlotte, N.C. and Dakar, Senegal, respectively, Skinner and Diop are now eligible for selection in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft, which is set to take place on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 5 p.m. Skinner and Diop are the eighth and ninth players in program history and fourth and fifth in the Mike Noonan era to sign a Generation adidas contract.
Generation adidas is a joint program between MLS and adidas that sees a handful of top collegiate underclassmen and youth national team players signed by MLS to Generation adidas contracts and made available in the SuperDraft. In order to provide Generation adidas players with the best professional environment, Generation adidas player salaries are not charged against an MLS team’s annual salary budget, providing an added incentive for that club to develop the player. Eventually, these GA players graduate to senior player contracts and their salaries are charged against a team’s budget.
Today’s announcement signals the end of Skinner and Diop’s collegiate eligibility and means they will join their new clubs after being selected in the upcoming draft.
One of Clemson’s key defenders this season, sophomore Skinner saw action in every single game for the Tigers in 2022, scoring twice and providing one assist. He transferred to Clemson in 2022 following his freshman season at UNCG when he was named an All-SoCon player.
Diop is a two-time All-ACC second team selection, and has played in 42 games for the Tigers across three seasons. He’s amassed seven goals and three assists as a center back, and was a crucial player on Clemson’s 2021 National Championship team.
