The youngest current RLCS pro is 15-year-old Andrea "Radosin" Radovanovic
In April 2022, French organization Team Vitality signed 15-year-old French phenom Andrea "Radosin" Radovanovic as their new third man. Still in secondary school, Radosin‘s aerial prowess and speed took the European scene by storm to earn a record-breaking RLCS promotion at his age.
RLCS Player Ages Drop to Historic Lows
The average age of RLCS pros continues trending downward, hitting an all-time low of 18.7 years across the 2022-2023 season – 2 years below the previous record set in Season X (2021).
Observe the stark age declines over the past 4 RLCS seasons:
| Season | Average Player Age |
|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 20.2 |
| 2020-21 | 20.8 |
| 2019-20 | 21.1 |
| 2018-19 | 21.4 |
Europe leads the youth movement, with an average regional age of 18.2 compared to 19.5 in North America.
Why the sudden influx of adolescent talent? I hypothesize contributing factors could include:
- Early specialization in mechanical skills via workshop maps
- Growth of regional lower-level tournaments for experience
- Improved scouting and infrastructure to identify younger standout mechanical players
If these trends hold, we may expect average ages to continue dropping to 18 or even 17 in upcoming seasons.
RLCS Minimum Age Stays at 15, But Debates Around Limits Continue
The minimum age to compete in the RLCS remains 15 years old, unchanged since 2016. Players under 18 must still obtain parental approval.
However, debates continue around whether limits should be raised to restrict younger teenagers from turning pro. Unlike physical sports where late development is normal, esports place more emphasis on reaction times and mechanic skills which peak earlier.
Other major esports leagues take varying stances – League of Legends sets 17 as its minimum, while Call of Duty allows 14-year-olds. Rocket League has not indicated plans to adjust its age rules.
Spotlight: Young RLCS Players Carrying Momentum Into 2023
These talented teenagers made names for themselves in 2022 despite their age, and look to establish their stardom in upcoming seasons:
| Name | Age | Team | Path to Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrea “Radosin” Radovanovic | 15 | Team Vitality | Signed after standout French regional performances |
| Vincent “Chausette45” Cauffet | 17 | Oxygen Esports | RLCS veteran since debuting at 14 in RLRS |
| Evan “Evoh” Geiselman | 17 | The General NRG | NA wunderkind known for creative angles |
| Joseph “noly” Kidd | 17 | Team Liquid | Technical 1s mastermind adaptive in 3s |
| Henry “Henry” Coxall | 16 | Version1 | Savvy veteran of over 50 major events since 14 |
| Vladislav “Pancake” Semikashev | 16 | Falcons | Russian mechanical phenom excelling on LAN |
| Thu “Tahz” Nguyen | 15 | PWR | Australian speedster proving himself in APAC region |
| Kyle “Torment” Storer | 16 | G2 Esports | NA legend getting second wind after signing to superteam |
Between catalysing earlier skill development and growing infrastructure to support young talent, Rocket League continues to shift toward competitive environments where teenagers have room to thrive.
What next-level mechanics or strategies will these adolescent phenoms pioneer? 2023 promises to uncover a spectacular new generation of rising stars.
