How AC Boise is giving Idaho’s top youth soccer players a shot at the pros
Jackson Stephens has years of experience in professional soccer settings.
He grew up in the LA Galaxy academy before moving to Boise. He then skipped his junior year at Bishop Kelly High School to join Austin FC’s academy.
But the 18-year-old said playing with adults this summer at Athletic Club Boise has done more to prepare him for a college and potential professional career.
“I’ve leveled up since I’ve come here,” the 2026 Bishop Kelly grad said. “It’s made a big difference for me, and it will make a big difference for my career.”
Stephens stands as one of the first two academy players for Idaho’s first professional soccer club. He and Boise native Grayson Carter joined the club on United Soccer League academy contracts, forgoing a paycheck to preserve their college eligibility while getting a crash course in what it takes to become a professional athlete.
Many USL Championship teams and a handful of League One clubs field their own full academy teams. AC Boise has yet to join their ranks yet as an expansion side. But Stephens and Carter prove that Idaho’s top soccer talent no longer needs to leave the state to break into the professional ranks.
“For me, it’s really, really important that there is not one elite player in Boise that has to leave to do what Blake Bodily did or what Jackson Stephens did,” AC Boise coach Nate Miller said. “So if you’re good enough — and that is a high level and age 16, 17 — we will know about you, and we’ll incorporate you in some capacity.”
Bodily laid down the first marker in the ever-shifting pathway to American professional soccer. The former Eagle High standout joined the Portland Timbers academy at 15 years old before starring at the University of Washington. A nine-year professional career made the winger Idaho’s premier active pro and AC Boise’s no-brainer first signing.
Stephens attempted to follow a similar path, joining Austin’s academy last season and signing with Austin FC II of the MLS Next Pro ahead of its 2025 campaign. But after committing last summer to High Point University, an NCAA Division I program in North Carolina, he opted to return home for his senior year with an eye on Boise’s coming pro soccer team.
He and Carter both attended AC Boise’s open tryouts last November. Miller already had a relationship with Carter from their time in the Real Salt Lake academy. But Miller said he went into those tryouts with an eye on teenagers and potential academy players.
Stephens quickly stood out, signing with the club ahead of its season opener. The midfielder is no mere practice player, either. He made his professional debut by coming off the bench May 13 against Naples. He’s appeared in two more games thus far as a substitute.
“He’ll be a professional for sure,” Miller said. “I think it’s one of those things where, as a player, you’re anxious to want to sign a pro contract now. But the reality is you have to look at your life in general.
“‘I have a free ride at High Point?’ That’s not a bad option. … Nowadays, you’re not locked into anything for four years. Go there, have a great fall, smash it, and let’s just see where we’re at.”
League rules prevented Carter from appearing in a game this summer as he’s already started his NCAA career. The 19-year-old made 15 starts and played in all 18 games as a University of Pittsburgh freshman last fall. But Miller said he still got to spend six weeks training with a pro team, and he returned to campus earlier this month with a clear goal.
“I think what he needs right now is to define his position. What is his position as a professional going to be?” Miller said.
“What’s hard for him now is at the college level, he’s an attacking player and a winger. And I think at our level here, there are different profiles and the game is a lot more athletic. So what does that look like for him?
“I really like Grayson as well. I think he just needs like 25 games this season in college to just develop. He’s on track.”
AC BOISE VS. SACRAMENTO REPUBLIC FC
- When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
- Where: Expo Idaho, Garden City
- Watch: ESPN+, KTVB 7.2
- Records: Boise 7-6-3 (5th place in USL League One) | Sacramento 4-4-1 (10th place in USL Championship Western Conference)
- Stakes: This marks the final game of the USL Cup group stage. Boise must beat Sacramento in regulation and get some help from Spokane to advance. A 90-minute win and a Spokane loss to Oakland sends Boise through. A 90-minute win and a Spokane shootout victory would also advance Boise, as long as Spokane scores three or fewer goals in regulation.
