Hounds Trio Ink Extension Deals

CHICAGO, Il.- The Chicago Hounds announced today a series of transactions in lead up to the 2025 Major League Rugby season. The team agreed to contract extensions with forward Luke White, center Bryce Campbell, and wing Noah Brown.

Luke White

White earned 15 caps (10 starts) during the 2024 season, playing a total of 708 minutes, and scoring one try. On offense, the forward carried the ball 104 times for 568 meters (5.5 meters-per-carry). He beat 19 defenders, broke 11 tackles, and finished the season with one clean line break.

Defensively, White completed 91% of his 113 tackle attempts (103 tackles), including four dominant tackles (tackles behind the gain line). The forward tallied 139 total breakdown arrivals on the season and won six turnovers on defense, including three at the breakdown.

The Australian native signed with Chicago prior to the 2023 season. White made his Hounds debut on February 18, 2023, the dawgs week one contest against Old Glory DC. He is Chicago Hound number six (the sixth player to ever take the field for the Chicago Hounds franchise).

During his first campaign as a Hound, he appeared in 12 games (12 starts) and scored three tries on 129 carries, gaining 671 meters in the process. Defensively, he completed 108 of his 121 tackle attempts.

White initially entered MLR in 2018 with the Colorado Raptors, primarily featured in the front row as a loosehead prop before converting to the second row in 2019. He spent two seasons with the LA Giltinis, helping them to a 2021 MLR Shield.

Bryce Campbell

After being selected by the Hounds in the November 2022 MLR Expansion Draft, Campbell became the first signing in the franchise’s history. The Indianapolis native returns to Chicago after an impressive 2024 campaign.

The center started 14 of his 15 appearances and scored a pair of tries. Campbell carried the ball 117 times, gaining 679 meters and beating 17 defenders. Defensively, he registered triple-digit tackle numbers for the fourth consecutive season, completing 108 of his 129 tackle attempts.

During the 2023 season, Campbell was named team captain, and appeared in all 16 contests. He started 14 games and registered 1,147 minutes of action. Campbell made 115 tackles, three of which were dominant, and won five turnovers.

Prior to Chicago, Campbell spent two seasons captaining the Austin Gilgronis. He made 15 starts in 2022, playing a total of 1136 minutes. He ran for 901 meters on 119 carries (7.5 MPC) with three clean line breaks and 17 total defenders beaten. His defensive presence was felt on a weekly basis, finishing the year credited with 144 tackles with 11 dominant tackles.

Campbell earned All-MLR Honorable mention honors in 2021, his first year with the Gilgronis. He played in 14 matches and ran for 931 meters on 143 carries. Campbell finished the year with 106 tackles with two dominant tackles and scored one try.

Before Austin, Campbell spent two seasons with the London Irish competing in the Premiership, England’s professional rugby competition. During Major League Rugby’s inaugural season in 2018, he played with the Glendale Raptors, helping lead them to an appearance in the first ever championship series final.

The center has a long list of accolades to go along with his impressive playing resume. He earned Collegiate All-American honors during his time at the Indiana University in addition to winning the Rudy Scholz Award, given annually to the best male collegiate rugby player in the country. He’s been a mainstay in the US Eagles’ Men’s national team lineup since 2016.

Noah Brown

The Hounds drafted Brown with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 Major League Rugby Collegiate Draft. A product of Indiana University, the Hoosier playmaker became the first draft pick in the history of the franchise. Most recently, Brown was named in the US Eagle’s traveling squad for their Fall Test series, with a slate of games that include Tonga, Portugal, and Spain. The wing is seeking his first international test XVs cap.

Brown appeared in 13 games during his rookie campaign, starting seven of those appearances and registering 713 minutes of action. The South Bend, Indiana native made his debut against Old Glory in week three, coming off the bench as a substitute.

He got his first taste of significant action the following week against the New England Free Jacks. Brown parlayed the impressive showing against New England into his first MLR start against the Seattle Seawolves in week five. Against Seattle, the wing lit up Dawg Town with a pair of first-half tries, and a potential superstar was unearthed.

He finished his rookie year with 43 carries for 523 meters (12.1 MPC) and scored four tries in the process. Brown beat 28 defenders on those carries and registered four clean line breaks. He was equally as impressive on defense- completing 48 of his 53 tackle attempts. Brown also displayed a knack for winning back possession, finishing the season with five defensive turnovers won.

During his time at Indiana, Brown was a mainstay for both the 7s and 15s programs. Throughout college, he also impressed on the club 7s circuit with the Chicago Lions. His combination of size and speed helped the Lions win a club 7s National Championship in 2021.

Standout performances across college ball and the club circuit did not go unnoticed. Brown earned an invite to the USA 7s High Performance camp in 2022. Impressive performances in the camp earned him the captaincy role for the USA Under-23 7s team. Finally, Brown made his senior 7s debut at the iconic Hong Kong 7s tournament.

The midwest native originally began playing rugby at perennial powerhouse Penn High School. He was collegiate teammates with Peyton Wall, the Hounds’ first round draft pick in the 2024 Collegiate Draft.