Penn State and UPenn Crushing Early Stage of 2027 Recruiting

It is still September, so we are only in the beginning stages of the recruiting process for Class of 2027 prospects. Still, two college programs in the Keystone State have been crushing it during this initial period for ‘27s – Penn State and University of Pennsylvania.   Today, I wanted to review the haul of 2027s that each of those programs pulled in thus far.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Penn State</h2>   The Nittany Lions advanced to the Final Four last year, but the coaching staff is not resting on that achievement, continuing to grind on the recruiting trail. As a result, PSU has secured verbal commitments from six players inside our Class of 2027 Top 100 rankings.   Penn State landed two Canadian offensive studs from Lawrenceville (N.J.) in [player_tooltip player_id='143260' first='Ayden' last='Matthews'] and [player_tooltip player_id='16721' first='Malcolm' last='Richardson']. Matthews is a filthy left-handed midfielder who is the No. 7 prospect among 2027s. Becoming Penn State's first 5-star recruit since the '23 cycle, he is a dynamic scoring threat with a quick burst. Richardson is a talented and versatile prospect who can play midfield or attack. His creative box lacrosse skills will be a major addition to Penn State's offensive unit.   PSU continued to bolster its roster at the offensive end by landing several more players with attack/midfield flexibility: No. 26 recruit Kellen Bladon (Western Reserve, Ohio), Wyatt Douglas (St. John's, D.C.), and [player_tooltip player_id='23638' first='Danny' last='Lucovich'] of Malvern Prep outside of Philly. Bladon is a dual-threat lefty who is an elite-level dodger. He is a native of Canada, too. With his intimidating 6'3, 190-pound frame and speed, Douglas is a serious matchup issue for opponents. Lucovich is a skilled offensive weapon with a nonstop motor. Last season at Malvern, the shifty Lucovich posted 39 goals to go along with 38 assists.   Penn State is bringing in a couple of outstanding 2027 poles, too. No. 64 recruit Jake Calloway of Westhampton Beach on Long Island is a highly decorated defender with a habit of causing turnovers via heavy stick checks. Calloway excels at defending in 1v1 situations and is also a plus player in the transition game. The other 2027 pole who is already in the fold for the Nittany Lions is LSM Adam Dodia out of Salesianum in Delaware. Dodia, the No. 69 prospect and a native of West Chester (Pa.), is an athletic LSM with legitimate two-way skills.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">UPenn</h2>   New head coach Taylor Wray hit the ground running at Penn with an outstanding start to his 2027 recruiting class. This month, Wray and his staff have secured verbal commitments from 11 players, including two prospects ranked inside the Top 100.   So far, the headliner for Penn's 2027 class is face-off specialist Alexander Dimnaku of Phillips Andover in Massachusetts. He is a master at winning clamps cleanly and charging into the offensive end to create a scoring opportunity. Dimnaku sits at No. 39 in our Class of 2027 rankings and is considered the top FOGO in the class. A lefty attackman and midfielder, St. Mary's (Md.) junior James Brimhall is a 6'2 scoring threat who thrives both with and without the ball for the Saints and with the Annapolis Hawks on the club circuit.   Two other offensive-minded 2027 prospects that Penn already landed are midfielder Luke Myre and attackman Rocco Spallina. This past summer, the explosive Myre was a key member of the Next Level club team that was ranked No. 2 in the nation. A junior for Bullis (Md.), Myre is a two-way, lefty middie with serious shake, able to score or distribute on the run. An All-County selection from Massapequa, Spallina is an electric attackman who can single-handedly take over a game.   Rounding out the early portion of Penn's 2027 recruiting class is goalie Jack Lochte from McDonogh of the MIAA. At 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, Lochte is an imposing figure between the pipes. His size, combined with his fast hands and all-around agility, made Lochte a highly sought-after recruit. This past summer, Lochte was a standout performer at marquee events such as Juniors Open, NILLY, and Main Stage.

It is still September, so we are only in the beginning stages of the recruiting process for Class of 2027 prospects. Still, two college programs in the Keystone State have been crushing it during this initial period for ‘27s – Penn State and University of Pennsylvania.