Hounds sign rookie forward Langston Blackstock

Photo courtesy Clayton State University athletics

Riverhounds SC has signed first-year pro Langston Blackstock to a one-year deal, pending USL and U.S. Soccer Federation approval, the team announced today. The deal includes a club option for the 2024 season.

Blackstock is a 6-foot-2 forward who completed a successful college career last fall at Division II Clayton State University, not far from his hometown of Marietta, Ga. In his senior season, Blackstock led the Peach Belt Conference in scoring with 15 goals, earning First Team all-conference and All-Southeast Region honors.

“Langston is an interesting young attacking player with good awareness and composure in attacking areas. His quickness and technical ability will make him a threat for opponents, and we look forward to his development during the 2023 USL Championship season,” Riverhounds head coach Bob Lilley said.

In four seasons at Clayton State from 2019-22, Blackstock racked up an impressive scoring haul with 32 goals and 12 assists in 65 games for the Lakers. That total includes converting all five penalty kicks he took in his senior season and 9 out of 10 for his career.

Blackstock began his college career playing his freshman season at Coastal Carolina, where he made eight appearances in 2018 for the Chanticleers. He also appeared in USL League Two with the Southern Soccer Academy as an amateur player.

Impact of Clayton Blackstock Signing

With Albert Dikwa and Edward Kizza already signed, sealed and ready to go, the Hounds needed to add depth to the attacking line.  The question is, we’ll have to watch to see how Blackstock is utilized in the remainder of the preseason to see if he’s more of a target striker, or could he be a player that could be used wide or in a similar role that Russell Cicerone was used.

Lilley hinted this in his description of the first-year player, who he raved about Blackstock’s quickness and technical ability making him a threat for opponents

His scoring totals are impressive at any level.  The Hounds have found some diamonds out of the DII college ranks in the past, namely Rob Vincent and Thomas Vancaeayezeele (both University of Charleston), and Lilley is always looking for very specific things from players, and there’s definitely a lot that he likes about Blackstock, right out of college, fits right into the Hounds’ desire to build a young and hungry roster.

 

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Blackstock and the Hounds will play their third preseason contest this Saturday, Feb. 18, when the Hounds host the University of Akron at 4 p.m. at Highmark Stadium. All home preseason matches are open to the public and free of charge.