Under The Radar Class of 2026 Pickups for Top DI Programs

Use code ‘PREP30′ at checkout to receive 30% off your annual or two-year subscription!  Contrary to popular belief, a recruit can still be considered 'under the radar' even if they commit early to a notable Division I program. In this piece, I wanted to highlight a few kids that I didn't have on my board after the June and July circuit, some I'd seen play in person once or twice, and others I had not, but felt like they could be sneaky good pickups for their respective future programs.   So, let's get to know the five of them:    As much as any defender in the class, I'm super intrigued to see where this Oklahoma native's game is in a year or two now that he's at Western Reserve playing under Dylan Sheridan, who has an excellent track record of developing defensemen. Croteau is a massive piece of clay that is undoubtedly raw but will benefit from a step up in coaching and competition. Watching him at Great 8, I was impressed with his ability to get his stick on balls for knockdowns and clean interceptions, taking up a ton of space in passing lanes and making opponents think twice before throwing skip passes. I felt as if he came and went a little bit in terms of his consistency and off-ball play, but his upside is considerable. Dave Pietramala has taken several promising project types from non-hotbeds over the years, and Croteau fits in that bucket, 6-foot-6 and all.       I have no idea how I missed the 6-foot-4 O'Reilly this summer. Watching his highlights, it was actually startling to see how often defenses lost track of him and allowed him to catch and dunk it on the doorstep. He's far more than just a big body, though, as he's able to score in a multitude of different ways, whether it's after a perfectly executed cut, a sweep across the top, on an invert, straight bully dodge, or on a finish on the backside. Beyond that, he does a really nice job getting back in the hole and can even clear at a high level when called upon. I'm looking forward to seeing where he takes his game (particularly how he grows as a feeder), and although he has flown a bit under the radar, Cornell always seems to thrive with players who fit that profile.     These days, it's awfully rare for a player with high Division I aspirations to eschew playing club lacrosse and showcases, but I can't help but applaud Friedholm for taking the path less taken and quickly finding a home at Harvard. A two-sport junior captain who also is a talented hockey player, Friedholm's summer highlights are made up of him playing with his high school team, which served as the host to the annual New England Lacrosse Showcase. The superbly athletic lefty can flat-out separate and finish the ball in high-percentage areas. For a left-hander, the stick is in his right quite a bit, and he can finish with flair, evidenced by the gorgeous leaners and one-handed finishes that littered his summer highlight reel. His shot on the run also seems incredibly polished, and he's someone who is a natural on the defensive end and in transition as well.     Renschen is a bonafide quarterback, something that there isn't a whole lot of in the Class of 2026. Although he's just 5'7 and skinny, he checks pretty much all of the boxes (and then some) required to excel as an undersized offensive weapon. The lefty with silky mitts is incredibly intelligent, highly skilled, quick, and fearless as a dodger. On top of that, Renschen is a tremendous box player who has some downright nasty plays on his indoor highlight reels. He seems so calm, cool, and collected with the ball in his stick and is constantly threading the needle with pinpoint passes to teammates, but he's just as dangerous when attacking the cage off the dodge. There's a lot of deception in his game, and his change of direction is off-the-charts. Having committed to the Quakers in early October, he's the lone natural attackman in Penn's '26 class, given that Mike Murphy's program loaded up at attack with the 2025s.     I absolutely love what Braun is made of, and I can totally see why Kevin Warne made him a priority SSDM recruit and landed him just over a week into the recruitment of 2026s. Turn on the film and you'll see a player who embraces the position, lays the boom, thrives in transition, and sticks his nose in the dirt for hard-nosed groundballs. Although I didn't get to see much of him besides his NHSLS campaign with Upper Arlington (where he also plays football), I was instantly impressed with his athleticism and ability to stand up dodgers or, in a few cases, put them on the ground cleanly. Given the fact that he can fly and never seems to wear down), he's such an asset in the clearing game and can get from one end of the field to the other in the blink of an eye.

Use code ‘PREP30′ at checkout to receive 30% off your annual or two-year subscription!

Contrary to popular belief, a recruit can still be considered 'under the radar' even if they commit early to a notable Division I program. In this piece, I wanted to highlight a few kids that I didn't have on my board after the June and July circuit, some I'd seen play in person once or twice, and others I had not, but felt like they could be sneaky good pickups for their respective future programs.