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Like many college students, Tyler Huck has a job and has to balance earning a few extra dollars against his academic responsibilities.

But none of Huck’s peers at Bowdoin College have a job like his.

Huck is a professional soccer player. After being invited to train with the Portland Hearts of Pine during the 2026 season, Huck kept making positive impressions. A one-week stint turned into multiple weeks, and on March 12, the 21-year-old forward from Ross, California, was officially signed to a contract.

Huck will graduate May 23. Bowdoin’s commencement is scheduled to end at noon. The Hearts of Pine host Greenville Triumph SC in a USL League One regular-season game that night at 6:30.

“It’s a lot,” said a smiling Huck shortly after a chilly practice Thursday at Fitzpatrick Stadium. “The next six weeks will be tough. It’s kind of soccer in the morning and classes in the afternoon and then repeat.”

In four standout seasons at Bowdoin, Huck scored 34 goals and had 19 assists. He was the New England Small College Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year in 2022 and a three-time first-team NESCAC selection, capped by a selection as the league’s player of the year this past fall.

Huck’s college coach, Scott Wiercinski, asked Hearts of Pine coach Bobby Murphy if Huck could practice with the team.

“Originally it was, can this kid come train with you for a week? And that’s all I wanted out of it,” Huck said. “I wanted to see where I was at with the level.”

Based on the past two preseasons, Murphy and his staff are reticent to talk about a trialist, even going so far as refusing to supply a name for a photo identification. Until they’re signed, trialists are persona non gratis publicly.

But it didn’t take long for Huck’s teammates to know his name.

“He was someone who took his opportunity by the scruff of the neck,” said Hearts midfielder Ollie Wright, the team’s leading scorer in 2025. “Coming from a D-III school, he’s not quite had that pedigree, but he came in with the right attitude and made the coaches make a decision. Tyler really made a case for himself, and it was impossible for the coaches to say no.”

Huck impressed enough in his first week to get an invite to join the team on a training trip to Bermuda. With each session, he was able to make a positive impression with his fitness, effort, skills around the net, and ability to fit in with the group.

With multiple preseason goals, Huck “earned himself a deal and we’ll see what he does at this level day-in and day-out,” Murphy said.

As the Hearts’ sporting director, Murphy is in charge of building his roster. Signing a trialist is not uncommon, Murphy said. Starting right back Mo Mohamed earned a spot that way last summer, and veteran defender Adam Armour and professional rookie Ernest Mensah Jr. signed this season after they first were invited to train with the team.

“People have trialists come in all the time, but coming from Bowdoin and Division III, it’s probably less likely,” Murphy said.

Huck said he initially planned to play with a top amateur squad in USL2 and then pursue pro soccer opportunities with tryouts this fall. But as he trained with the Hearts, he realized his timetable was changing. He could practice in the morning with the Hearts and get to his classes, which were all in the afternoon. With no Friday classes, he could travel to away games.

“I started to look forward and this was possible to do this semester, and that was kind of a crazy moment,” Huck said.

Huck has already appeared in two games. He came on in the 88th minute of a 0-0 tie at AV Alta FC, replacing midfielder Michel Poon-Angeron. Last Saturday, he was in the starting lineup and played 60-plus minutes in a 1-0 loss at Sarasota that left the Hearts 1-1-1 in USL1 play.

Huck’s start was partly attributable to Portland having to come up with a makeshift lineup. Striker Titus Washington was limited after missing the previous game. He began the game on the bench and ended up replacing Huck. Wright didn’t make the trip to Florida because of a hamstring injury. Defensive midfielder Mikey Lopez was on a one-game suspension for his red card disqualification against AV Alta. JayTee Kamara, another offensive threat at midfield, was on an international call-up with Sierra Leone.

How much more Huck will play if the Hearts have a full roster is an open question. Murphy said what Huck has shown is that “he’s really unbelievable in front of goal. If he can get a chance, he’ll score it. He fit in really well with the group. He’s humble and wants to work hard. You can’t have too many selfless team guys around the building, so he fits the bill.”