LSU announces signing of two talented center backs, Ryleigh Albin and Kylee Rocha

BATON ROUGE, LA – LSU Soccer head coach Sian Hudson has announced the signing of two center backs for the 2026 season. Ryleigh Albin and Kylee Rocha have officially signed on with the Tigers and will join the squad in Baton Rouge ahead of the 2026 season.

“We are really excited for the addition of these two for 2026,” Hudson said. Albin and Rocha sign with the Tigers as two of the United States’ top talents at the youth level.

Ryleigh Albin – Flower Mound, TX – FC Dallas – Center Back

Albin joins the Tigers from her club team FC Dallas, where she competed in the Elite Clubs National League for the club. She earned a spot on the 2024 and 2025 ECNL Girls Texas All-Conference Teams. She also competed at U.S. Soccer Talent ID Centers, single-day player identification opportunities for top talents to train and play games under the direction of U.S. Soccer Talent Identification Managers, in both 2025 and 2026.

In high school competition, Albin competed for Marcus High School and helped the Marauders capture the 2025 Texas 6A State Championship. She earned 6A Defensive MVP honors as well as a spot on the All-State team for her efforts.

“Everyone was extremely excited to learn of Ryleigh reclassifying to 2026,” Hudson said. “The way Ryleigh competes and leads the defensive line, combined with her outgoing personality, she will be an instant hit for us. With her experience at FC Dallas, and recently being called in to participate with the Houston Dash in the NWSL, we know Ryleigh has a high ceiling and she will add passion, leadership and a positive mentality from day one.”

Kylee Rocha – Elk Grove, Calif. – De Anza Force Soccer Club – Center Back

Rocha boasts a decorated club career, representing San Juan SC before switching to De Anza Force. In her time in the ECNL, she was on the ECNL All-Conference First Team four times, selected as captain to the Continental Tire ECNL National Selection game, and was selected to the ECNL National Conference Cup and named to the conference cup’s Best 11 squad. She was a team captain for squads at both San Juan SC and De Anza Force for a total of five years.

She represented Pleasant Grove High School and had an elite high school career with honors that included a spot on the Norcal State Team three separate years, first team all conference for Division I high school soccer, and was named division one’s defensive player of the year.

Rocha has participated in three U.S. National ID Talent Center Training sessions. She is also a prominent futsal player for the U.S. Youth National Team, where she was a three time national futsal champion.

“We’re thrilled to have Kylee joining us in Baton Rouge by way of the University of Iowa,” said Hudson. “We believe with Kylee’s physical stature, technical quality on the ball and personality, she will add grit and tenacity to our defensive unit. She played on a very talented De Anza Force team that competed on the national stage and that experience will provide crucial for a backline that graduated a lot of big minutes players last fall.”