Toronto FC announced today that the club has selected Jackson Gilman from The University of Pittsburgh with the 36th overall pick (sixth pick, second round) in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft.
Gilman, 21, spent the past four seasons at The University of Pittsburgh, where he scored two goals and registered seven assists as a defender across 75 appearances (74 starts). A Schwenksville, Pennsylvania native, Gilman was named team captain for three consecutive years from 2023 through 2025. The defender had an impressive freshman campaign in 2022, starting all 22 matches and named to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) All-Freshman Team, earned College Soccer News Freshman All-America First Team recognition and named to the TopDrawerSoccer Freshman Best XI First Team. He also ranked No. 10 in the postseason TopDrawerSoccer’s Freshman Top 100 rankings.
The defender was named to the All-ACC Third Team in both 2023 and 2024 and earned ACC All-Academic Team honours in all four seasons with the Panthers. Over his collegiate career, Gilman helped lead Pittsburgh to four ACC Tournament appearances, advancing to the quarterfinals three times (2022, 2023, 2025), as well as three National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Men’s Soccer Tournament appearances (2022-2024), including the Panthers’ College Cup push in 2022, advancing to the national semifinals.
Prior to Pittsburgh, Gilman played for the Philadelphia Union Academy from 2016 to 2022 and made eight appearances for Philadelphia Union II during the inaugural MLS NEXT Pro season in 2022. He made his professional debut in a 2-0 win over FC Cincinnati 2 in the first MLS NEXT Pro game in club history on March 27, 2022.
TRANSACTION: Toronto FC draft defender Jackson Gilman with the No. 36 selection in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft.
JACKSON GILMAN
Position: Defender
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 174 lbs.
Birthdate: April 29, 2004 (Age – 21)
Hometown: Schwenksville, Pennsylvania
Nationality: American
College: The University of Pittsburgh
Acquired: Selected with the No. 36 selection (second round) in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft.
