KoiKoi Nelligan Re-Signs with OGDC for 2026

By Alistair Kirsch-Poole
Dec 3, 2025 - 11:00am

Hooker KoiKoi Nelligna has re-signed for 2026, his a fourth season with Old Glory DC. The 26-year-old Bethesda, Maryland native graduated from West Point in 2022, where he was a captain and MVP in multiple sports. He also played four years of rugby in college, helping Army win a national championship in his senior year and setting a school record with 16 tries scored in the season.

He joined the professional ranks when he was picked up in the 2022 MLR draft. While technically drafted by San Diego, he was traded to Old Glory DC in short order when one of their picks, Jack Manzo, opted not to sign with the team.

His story in MLR is one of year-on-year improvement. His first year at Old Glory saw him get a small opportunity late in the season, starting in one match and coming off the bench in another. He showed plenty of promise in those moments, earning him an expanded role in 2024. He played 191 minutes accross 13 matches that year, all of them off the bench.

Last season, he was able to work his way from the third choice at hooker to the second choice, supplanting Martin Vaca. He started in 5 of his 15 matches for a total of 525 minutes played, and also scored a career-high three tries.

The question, as it has been every year for Nelligan, is whether he will be able to increase his role yet again next season. At this point, that would mean seizing the starting job and becoming the first choice in the #2 jersey. Whether that's posssible will really depend on what sort of competition he has, which we won't know until more players have been announced. With several good options left available by the shrinking of the league, we could see a major shake-up at the position.

For Nelligan, though, the key will be to improve areas of his game. A key part of why Uruguayan veteran Facundo Gattas was selected over Nelligan last season was specifically for his strength in the scrum, where he could act as a third prop and help overpower opposing front rows. Nelligan's strength, meanwhile, has always been in his electric open-field play, likely a result of the fact that he also played flanker and for the sevens team in college. If he can add strong scrummaging to his repertoire, he should be able to make a case for himself as the starting hooker.