Stellenbosch FC graduate Tylon Smith has been named as one of three finalists in the running for the 2025 CAF Young Player of the Year award.

On Sunday evening, Former Stellenbosch FC defender Tylon Smith (20) was named by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as one of the finalists for the prestigious CAF Young Player of the Year award.

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The Jamestown-born centre-back has been nominated after helping South Africa win the 2025 CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in May – Amajita’s first-ever triumph at the continental showpiece – where he was also named as the Player of the Tournament.

Those performances earned Smith global recognition and just two months later, he completed a permanent transfer to EFL Championship side Queens Park Rangers, becoming the first Stellenbosch FC player to move directly to England.

He subsequently made his professional debut with QPR in the Carabao Cup (English League Cup) against Plymouth Argyle, before returning to international duty in September to help South Africa reach the knockout stages of the FIFA U-20 World Cup for the first time.

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In the latest notch to his belt, Smith has now been recognised as one of the best young players in Africa by CAF and will compete against the Moroccan duo of Abdellah Ouazane (AFC Ajax) and Othmane Maamma (Watford) for the top honour.

The winner will be announced at the 2025 CAF Awards ceremony that is set to be held on 19 November in Rabat, Morocco.

Tylon Smith was born in Jamestown, Stellenbosch, and joined the Stellenbosch FC academy at the U-14 age group level. In 2023, at the age of 18, he was part of the Stellenbosch youth sides that won the Engen Knockout Challenge and Engen Champ of Champs competitions, while simultaneously representing the Club’s reserve team. There, he helped Stellies win the 2023/24 DStv Diski Challenge and 2024 Premier League Next Gen Cup, defeating Tottenham Hotspur in the final of the latter tournament. Later in the year, he helped South Africa win the U-20 COSAFA Cup, being named Man of the Match in the final, before signing his first professional contract with Stellies. 2025 was the breakthrough year for Smith, as he was named DStv Diski Challenge Player of the Season, won the CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations as Player of the Tournament, and completed a permanent transfer to Queens Park Rangers in England. He also represented South Africa at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.