In some unexpected news over the weekend, the United Pickleball Association (PPA/MLP) made several announcements via their Instagram account.
In total, there were 15 signings announced and although we knew the "Johnson 5" signed, it is now official.
Here is a running list of players who were signed:
JW Johnson, Jorja Johnson, Milan Rane, and Gabe Tardio
Dylan Frazier
- A little strange that Frazier had his own posting, rather than being a part of the Johnson 5 - I don’t know if this is worth reading into or not now that everyone is signed.
Samantha Parker, Layne Sleeth, Jonny Pickleball Andrews, and Blaine Hovenier
- Parker had a great singles weekend in Houston, putting her name on the map.
- Sleeth was drafted in the Challenger Level MLP Draft.
- Jonny runs all of the PPA Pickleball camps and is a high-level pro.
- Hovenier is a former UCLA tennis player and working his way up through the pro pickleball rankings.
Augie Ge
- Check out our latest episode of the PicklePod for everything you ever wanted to know about Augie.
Cason Campbell, Mo Alhouni, Mota Alhouni, Michael Loyd, and Danny Jensen
- Campbell has made a name on tour this year and he’s only 17. His future seems so bright we did a feature on him about a month ago.
- Mo and Mota Alhouni are brothers from Minneapolis and Mo was drafted into the MLP Challenger Level Draft in 2024.
- Michael Loyd was THE BEST player out there still unsigned.
- Jensen, the former Ohio State soccer star, switched to pickleball and hasn’t looked back. He is definitely on the rise.
