Joseph McGrath is the latest member of the Hibs Academy to sign a professional contract with the Club!
Joseph joins Freddie Owens, Rory Whittaker, Jamie Bulloch, Owen Calder, Dean Cleland, Josh Landers, Zach Bruce and Jay McGarva who all penned their first pro contracts with the Club over the summer.
The youngsters form the bulk of Darren McGregor's U18s side who have made an impressive start to their league campaign.
The the wee Hibees sitting top of the U18s CAS Elite Youth League after impressive wins over both Rangers (3-1) and Celtic (5-0) in their last two matches.
Read more about our latest Academy talents below!
Joseph McGrath (pictured below) is the most recent Academy youngster to commit his feature to the Club. The versatile defender has been part of the Club's Academy structure since the age of eight, after joining from Bonnyrigg Rose.
McGrath has featured for the Hibs U18s and Development Squad this season and also received a call up to the Brian McLaughlin's Scotland U17 squad in August.
17-year-old goalkeeper, Freddie Owens, signed his first professional deal following an impressive season with the U18s and Hibernian Dev Squad last year.
Freddie was part of the U19 UEFA Youth League squad last season and made the step up to play with Development Squad last season on several occasions.
Rory Whittaker (pictured below) joined Hibs from Spartans in 2017 and has made an impact since his arrival.
The right-back was a regular in the U18 squad last season and received a call-up to the Scotland U16s squad in August 2022.
Born in April, 2006, Jamie Bulloch is a promising defender with an eye for goal. The 17-year-old was constant in Gareth Evans’ U18s last year – scoring a brace against Hearts in a 4-2 win back in January.
Owen Calder (pictured below) is a left-side player who has been with the Club since August 2021 after arriving from Penicuik Athletic YFC. The left-sided player was part of the U16s squad last year and will likely feature for the U18s for the upcoming 2023/24 campaign.
Dean Cleland (below) was part of the U19 UEFA Youth League squad at the age of just 15. The creative midfielder has an eye for goal, netting against St Mirren, Hearts, Aberdeen and Celtic for the U18s last season.
Holding midfielder Zach Bruce is another member of the U16s from last season. The aggressive midfielder’s best position is just in front of the back four, breaking up play and starting attacks from deep.
Jay McGarva is an extremely versatile member of the U18s squad who is looking to make the step up this year. The left-footed midfielder is comfortable anywhere on the left flank and is more than capable of scoring goals. The 16-year-old scored a brace against both Hearts and St Mirren last year for the U18s.
Another youngster who goals come naturally too is Josh Landers. The 16-year-old was part of the U19 UEFA Youth League squad and featured in victories over Molde and FC Nantes.
The 16-year-old scored plenty of goals for Gareth Evans’ U18s last season which earned himself a call-up to the Scotland U16s squad. Josh has had a strong start to the 2023/24 campaign already, scoring for the Hibs Dev Squad in the SPFL Community Trust Trophy victory over Formartine United.
Hibernian FC Academy Director, Gareth Evans commented: "Signing your first professional contract is a very proud day for any young footballer and one they will remember for the rest of their lives.
"Each of these young lads is thoroughly deserving of their new contracts and we are looking forward to watching them progress for the U18s and Hibs Dev Squad over the course of the new season!"
