Yaya Bakayoko

Photo by: ANTHONY SORBELLINI

Photo by: Jerome M. Ibrahim

Position:
Forward/Midfielder
Height:
5-9
Weight:
155
Class:
Graduate Student
Hometown:
Bronx, N.Y.
High School:
Martin Luther King, Jr.

2023 - Senior Season
Redshirted • Named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll.

2022 - Junior Season
Appeared in eight matches off the bench • Logged 222 minutes, including a season-high 44 at No. 4 Syracuse in the ACC Quarterfinals • Scored his first career goal in the 37th minute at William & Mary • Finished the year with four shots, three of which were on goal • Named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll.

2021 - Sophomore Season
Appeared in 19 matches, earning two starts and logging 589 minutes • Tallied two assists, first against LMU on Oct. 19 and at Virginia Tech on Oct. 24 • Took five shots during the season, three of which were on target • Named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll.

2020 - Freshman Season
Played in six games during the spring portion of the season, starting against Liberty on Feb. 25 and Virginia on March 13 • Took two shots on the year, both against Liberty, also playing a career-high 65 minutes • Named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll.

Prep
Played four years for head coach Martin Jacobson at the Martin Luther King Jr. Educational Campus in Manhattan • Had the most goals and assists in school history • Led MLK to three New York City championship titles • Was a three-year team captain • All-State All-American and Bimbo All-American • Named the Gatorade New York State Player of the Year in 2020 • Aspire Football Dream Ivory Coast MVP in 2015 • NPL national champion in 2017 and '18 with the Manhattan Soccer Club • Won the Generation adidas Cup with NYCFC in 2017.

Personal
Yaya Bakayoko is the son of Affouchata Sogodogo and Diongho Bakayoko • Birthday is August 17 • Born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, before moving to the New York City area • Speaks three languages: French, Madingo and English • Earned his degree in international affairs with a minor in economic justice • Working towards a master's in management and finance in the Kenan-Flagler Business School.