Nathan Cotton — Manager, Academy Scouting and Recruitment

Nathan Cotton is the Columbus Crew Academy's Manager of Scouting Recruitment, joining the team during the 2019 season. Previously, he served as a Video Performance Analyst for the First Team and a Video Performance Analyst intern for the Crew Academy.

Prior to joining the Club, Nathan held various staff roles in legislative and electoral politics, working in Congress, the Ohio House of Representatives, and for national, statewide, and local political candidates such as Senator Bernie Sanders and Congressman Zack Space. Nathan is also a freelance writer whose work has appeared in a variety of publications, including (614) Magazine, Alger Magazine, and Neurogenesis.

A native of Blacksburg, Virginia, Nathan attended Athens High School in Athens, Ohio, then earned a bachelor's degree in Behavioral Neuroscience from The Ohio State University. While at OSU, Nathan played four seasons for the Ohio State Men’s Club Soccer team, captaining the program to its first-ever NIRSA National Championship in 2014. He has continued working with OSUFC post-graduation as an Assistant Coach, helping the club reach the Round of 16 in 2017 and a 3rd Place national finish in 2018 and as national finalists in 2019.