Former Keiser men's soccer midfielder Nick Akoto signed a three-year deal with EFL League One team Burton Albion FC on Wednesday, July 24. The signing was part of a record-breaking transfer between South Georgia Tormenta FC (USL1) and the Brewers.
"I feel very happy," Akoto told BurtonAlbionfc.co.uk. "It's an exciting time in my journey and I just can't wait to get started. For me, it was a no-brainer to come and I'm just happy that the move was able to happen quickly.
"It's a very exciting time to be here. There's a lot of change, and I'm part of the change, so I'm just happy to get started and I can't wait for everyone to see what we can do."
Akoto, who was with Tormenta FC since 2022, becomes the first paid international transfer in USL League One history, and the fee received by Tormenta FC breaks the current record received by Union Omaha from Minnesota United FC for the transfer of Ryen Jiba in January 2023.
Akoto spent two seasons with the Seahawks (2021-2022), appearing in 24 games with seven assists helped guide Keiser to its first NAIA National Championship in 2021.
"I'm really happy for Nick," Keiser Head Coach
Gavin Oldham said. "During his time with us, Nick had a huge influence on the team and was a big part of our national championship winning program. He signed professionally directly from Keiser for his first contract, and obviously he's made this big step in his most recent contract. We're really proud of him here and we wish him nothing but the best. It just shows that no matter what college level you play, if you put in the hard work and have the dedication the opportunities are there for you."
During his time in college, Akoto spent his summers developing in USL League Two with the Ocean City Nor'easters (2021) and South Georgia Tormenta FC 2 (2022). Between both League Two sides, Akoto amassed one goal and one assist in 1,475 minutes of action and helped the Nor'easters advance to the 2021 USL League Two Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinals.
After spending the 2022 USL League Two season with South Georgia's affiliate team, Akoto was signed to his first professional contract with South Georgia's first team in January 2023. Since then, Akoto has accumulated three goals and five assists in 50 professional appearances with South Georgia Tormenta FC's first team across USL League One, USL Jägermeister Cup and U.S. Open Cup play.
Recognized as a USL League One Team of the Week member on six occasions during his time in Statesboro, Ga., Akoto enjoyed a productive debut professional season in 2023. Among all defenders in regular season play a year ago, Akoto finished first with 185 duels won and 42 dribbles completed and third with 33 chances created.
More information on Burton Albion FC can be found at
https://www.burtonalbionfc.co.uk/
Get the latest information on the team by following
keiser_msoc on Instagram and
KUSeahawkMSOC on X.
General athletic news can be found at
KUSeahawks on Facebook, @
kuseahawks on Instagram, and
@kuseahawks on X.
