Back row forward Carson Shoemaker played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2024. He represented the Utah Warriors (2022), Dallas Jackals (2022-23) and Anthem RC (2024).

Born and raised in Arizona, Shoemaker grew up in a rugby house after his father was introduced to the game while serving in the US Navy in Scotland. Alongside football, he played with the Arrowhead Berserkers youth rugby club while in high school, captaining the team between 2015-2018 as well as attending the Eagles Impact Rugby Academy (EIRA) before enrolling at Arizona State University. He continued playing rugby at ASU, and enjoyed a strong start to the 2020 season with the team going 4-1 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a lockdown. Shoemaker had also just been selected for the USA U20s side, but never took the field due to the pandemic.

In 2021, Shoemaker signed with the Utah Warriors for the 2022 MLR season but ended up with the Dallas Jackals on short-term loan for their inaugural season. He didn’t feature for the Warriors but earned his debut with the Jackals, starting 1 of his 2 games during a difficult first season for Dallas. He returned for a second season in Texas in 2023 after the Jackals signed him full time, where he earned 8 appearances as a reserve to take his career total to 10 with the Dallas Jackals. Following the 2023 season, Shoemaker traded in Dallas for Charlotte and headed to Carolina to join the newly established Anthem RC, a team focused on getting more meaningful minutes for young American talent. Ironically, despite being named to the roster for their inaugural season, Shoemaker never earned an appearance at MLR level for the rising stars. He started 1 of his 10 career appearances in Major League Rugby, gaining 137m in possession and completing 23 tackles.

Following his time in MLR, Carson Shoemaker played in the ARP with Mystic River, before joining Worcester Rugby in Massachusetts, playing with their First XV and D2 teams.