For Erich Storti, the journey from college rugby to the professional game has already taken him further than he could have imagined.

Just two years ago, Storti was the number one overall pick in the Major League Rugby Collegiate Draft after helping Saint Mary's College capture a National Championship in 2024. Since then, he has made the leap into professional rugby, experienced the challenges that come with establishing himself in the MLR, and earned the opportunity to represent the USA Eagles.

Now, as another draft approaches, the Storti family is preparing for another potentially historic moment.

This time, with Erich’s younger brother, Mario.

Mario, another product of Saint Mary's College, has registered for the MLR Collegiate Draft after establishing himself as one of the high flyers in CRAA’s D1A. There’s no doubt that MLR GMs will be taking a look at his tape and perhaps even reaching out to Mario Storti ahead of the MLR Draft next Thursday.

If Mario is selected, history could be made next season as the Storti brothers would become the first brothers in MLR history to both come through the collegiate draft.

And, perhaps even more remarkably, they could eventually share the field again as professionals.

With that possibility, this was a story I could not wait to tell…

For Erich, the draft is something he remembers vividly. Being selected first overall represented the culmination of years of work, but it also marked the beginning of an entirely new challenge.

“I remember my Draft day well,” reflects Erich. “My family and I were at a local restaurant waiting to see if my name would be called. I remember just feeling very grateful in the moment.

“It was a very proud moment to be selected first. It was just an opportunity to continue to do what I love.

“But it was also tough. You go from the pinnacle of college rugby and then you're just straight back down to the bottom of the totem pole within your rugby team.

“You're earning respect with your new teammates, your coaches, and kind of working your way up again. The whole experience has been amazing, and I continue to learn and try and be better each year.”

That experience has given him a perspective he can now pass on to Mario.

The brothers have already shared plenty of rugby experiences. They played together at De La Salle High School before eventually finding themselves together again at Saint Mary's College, following in their father Marty’s footsteps, who also went through the Saint Mary’s ‘Gaels’ rugby program.

Erich and Mario were even in the same Gael's national championship winning team in 2024.

For Erich, those years provided an opportunity not only to play alongside his brother, but to watch Mario develop into a player capable of taking the next step.

“I don’t mind saying that he’s probably better than me,” laughs Erich when questioned about who was the more talented player. “He's a speedster. Fast player, electric player. I think he can play wing or fullback at the next level for sure.

“He started playing rugby a bit younger than me. He'd probably tell you that he got me playing rugby in a way, and in a lot of ways he did. He has good game understanding, having played fly-half in high school. He was always the one calling the plays.”

That dynamic continued when they reunited at Saint Mary's. Erich was now the more experienced player, but Mario still wanted to be regarded as the playmaker, something that occasionally created friction on the field and conversations once they got home.

“We'd come home and have a little chat, and he's like, ‘You can't be doing that. You can't be telling me what to do when I'm the 10 and I'm the play caller,’” laughs Erich.

“It was classic sibling competition. We're really competitive, whether we're playing cards, or just we're out in the backyard shooting hoops, or whatever it was. I think just that competitive nature from a young age kind of pushed each of us, in a good way, and made us into much better rugby players probably now.”

The experience Erich now has after making the leap out of college rugby, through the MLR Draft and into the professional game, is something he now wishes to pass on to his brother.

August 27th will be the day to see if Mario will be drafted. While there may be some sibling competition, the Storti brothers are firmly there to help each other out.

“I’ve spoken to him quite a lot,” says Mario. “He’s helped me navigate the process and give me advice. Ultimately, he’s told me to enjoy the process, as there is nothing guaranteed.

“He’s definitely inspired me to strive to be where he's at and make it to that next step of MLR and eventually the USA Eagles. It’d be great to be better than him, and I say that because I think he wants me to also be a little bit better than him.”

Mario Storti played a pivotal role in the Gaels’ 2026 D1A season, reaching the semifinals only to lose out against the University of California, Berkeley, who went on to win the National Championship.

His goal was always to enter the MLR Draft and go after his dream of playing professional rugby.

“It's just a very unique opportunity,” says Mario. “I grew up hearing about my dad playing for Saint Mary’s and then my brother going to Saint Mary’s, just thinking that getting to Saint Mary's rugby is the number one goal and that's the height of rugby.

“So now with MLR, the Draft and being able to see what it's done for some guys over the years, it's definitely made me excited. It'll be cool.

“Hopefully, it's a good Draft group. I've heard some of the guys entering it, so it will be cool to see the names and the guys that I've played with and against all kind of go to that next level.”

As both Mario and Erich mentioned, even if you are drafted, the road ahead is challenging and not guaranteed. Rather than putting pressure on his brother, Erich has encouraged Mario to appreciate the opportunity, something that he remembers “going by pretty quickly.”

Erich believes his younger brother is ready for the challenge, believing that the growth of college rugby enables college stars to rise up to the professional level more efficiently.

“I think the overall college game has improved significantly over the past couple years,” says Erich. “You're seeing that with draftees coming in and being able to contribute right away. That maybe hasn’t always been the case over the years. I definitely feel that he [Mario] has what it takes. It’s an opportunity to keep playing rugby at a high level in America, which is a great thing.”

The Stortis have both said that they will be together at home with their family on draft day next week. A potential moment for Mario to hear his name called, something that he says will “mean the world” to his mom and dad, could lead to a future where both Storti brothers are playing in the same professional league, either with or against each other.

Either scenario would be unusual.

Both would be special.

As Erich Storti says, “it would be really unique.”

So unique, it would be a Major League Rugby first.

Two brothers. Out of the same college. Both through the MLR Draft. Both potentially playing in the same league next year.