COLUMBUS – The Columbus Crew selected two players today during the 2026 MLS SuperDraft – midfielder Tarun Karumanchi (Second Round, No. 49 overall) from the University of California Los Angeles and defender Isaac Heffness (Third Round, No. 79 overall) from North Carolina State University.
Karumanchi started all 19 matches played for UCLA during the 2025 season, when he served as team captain, paced the side in minutes (1,699) and recorded one assist while leading the Bruins to their first Big Ten Championship. He anchored the backline that posted shutouts against top-seeded Maryland in the Big Ten Conference semifinal and Michigan in the final, adding one assist. A native of San Ramon, Calif., Karumanchi registered 68 appearances (61 starts) and three assists from 2022-25, guiding UCLA to the 2023 Pac-12 regular season championship. His academic accolades include 2025 All-Big Ten Academic Honors, 2024 Fall Academic All-Big Ten and UCLA Director’s Honor Roll. Prior to UCLA, he spent time with the San Jose Earthquakes Academy and participated in a U.S. Under-20 Men’s Youth National Team training camp in 2022.
Name: Tarun Karumanchi
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5’11’’
Hometown: San Ramon, Calif.
Drafted: Selected in the Second Round (49th overall) of the 2026 MLS SuperDraft on Dec. 18, 2025
Previous Experience: University of California, Los Angeles (2022-2025)
Heffess represented NC State from 2024-25, tallying one goal and four assists in 43 starts. This past season, he started all 23 matches for the Wolfpack and provided two assists, logging them in back-to-back NCAA Tournament matches against Georgetown on Dec. 6 and Saint Louis on Dec. 12. Heffess also earned a spot on the 2024-25 ACC Academic Honor Roll. Prior to NC State, the Brookline, Mass., native started all 20 contests played for the University of New Hampshire from 2022-23, when he posted two assists and a team-high 1,779 minutes. Additionally, Heffess earned America East All-Rookie Team and America East All-Tournament Team recognition.
Name: Isaac Heffess
Position: Defender
Height: 5’11”
Hometown: Brookline, Mass.
Drafted: Selected in the Third Round (79th overall) of the 2026 MLS SuperDraft on Dec. 18, 2025
Previous Experience: North Carolina State University (2024-25), University of New Hampshire (2022-23)
