'27s One Month In: Five Big Splashes and Surprises

For the most part, a lot of the Class of 2027 five-star destinations made sense and were what a lot of folks expected. But in recruiting, you have to expect the unexpected. With that being said, I figured I'd shine a light on five decisions that jumped off the page when they occurred — some were shocking, some were surprising, and some were both shocking and surprising.    Fodor's commitment to Hopkins sent shockwaves through the college lacrosse world, marking the Blue Jays' biggest recruiting win of the Pete Milliman era and their highest-ranked addition since Brendan Grimes in the Class of 2020. Brandon will head to Homewood with his twin brother, John — a 6-foot-3 defender ranked No. 98 in the class — fulfilling their long-standing plan to play together in college. Yet Hopkins wasn't a school that came up often in conversations with coaches from late August into September, as most saw the Fodor twins leaning toward the Ivy League or ACC. They took visits to Princeton and North Carolina and even had another ACC trip planned for that upcoming weekend before Milliman & Co. closed the deal.   It was an impressive coup for the Blue Jays, and they'll ultimately add one of the best players in the class. Brandon is the kind of midfielder Hopkins rode to national championships in the early 2000s. Beyond the Fodors, this is a class I'm high on: there's Fodor's firepower, a trio of Canadians in the Top 100, a promising MIAA midfielder with a big-time shot, and a Delbarton face-off man with big upside. Historically, Green Wave standouts haven't found their way to Hopkins — now three will arrive in the same class.     On the surface, Matthews' commitment to Penn State — where his brother Liam is a redshirt sophomore — might not seem like much of a surprise. However, it was certainly a splash for the Nittany Lions to snag the No. 7 recruit in the class, and I believe that his ranking would have been even higher if he had participated in the recruiting circuit. Unless you watched the Big Red in the spring or followed Jr. A box, you may not be as familiar with what Matthews brings to the table.   After dazzling for the Orangeville Northmen, Matthews' recruitment centered around Maryland, Ohio State, and Penn State, his last visit of the three. According to multiple sources, the Terps were the other major player for the lefty's services and made quite an impression on Matthews. Penn State won out in the end, and Matthews was the cherry on top for an excellent '27 recruiting cycle in State College. Given the fact that Matthews was the third left-handed Canadian offensive weapon to jump on board, I'll be intrigued to see how they make that work in a few years, though that's one of those so-called champagne problems for Jeff Tambroni and John Haus.     Eynon, a five-star ranked 19th overall, was outstanding this summer — particularly down the stretch, when he earned Goalie MVP honors at Main Stage. Coming away from that event, plenty of college coaches felt they had to make him a priority, even in a goalie class as talented and deep as any in recent memory. By late August, the buzz centered on Notre Dame, Duke, and Princeton, and if I'd been making a crystal ball prediction like the football recruiting analysts, I would have picked him to commit to the Fighting Irish.   When he went out for his visit to Ohio State, Eynon got what can only be described as the Tasty treatment, spending time with All-American goalie Caleb 'Big Tasty' Fyock, who has one of the more magnetic personalities I've ever been around. Eynon left with an offer, and soon after, he pledged to Ohio State. When he comes in, Fyock will have just graduated, so the talented Long Island native will have the opportunity to fight for the job and become another potential four-year starter in Columbus.     In early September, talk around Todd — who has an older brother at Princeton — suggested he wanted to stay closer to home, so his eventual commitment to the Hoyas wasn't much of a surprise. While Georgetown has been strong on the recruiting trail, this was notable as Todd became its first five-star commit since Ty Banks and Anderson Moore in the '23 cycle. (Current freshmen Jake Bickel and Evan MacFarland were awarded five stars in August but had committed as four-stars two falls ago.)   Ranked 16th overall and the lone five-star junior in the state of Maryland, Todd is a lefty offensive stalwart with athleticism, skill, and plenty of attack/midfield versatility, though he's much more likely to run out of the box. He gives the Hoyas' class even more star power, and we're talking about a class that has six Top 100 recruits and plenty of other promising prospects on board.     I went back and forth on the fifth and final 'surprise' among the five stars — Syracuse and Harvard made splashes by landing Moe Sobel and Teddy Oh, respectively, but those were expected moves. Enter John Lynch, who has been one of my favorite '27s since I first saw him play in the spring for Belmont Hill in 2024, during which he played beyond his years. Based on the intel that I had heard, I fully expected Lynch to wind up in the ACC at either Notre Dame or Virginia. Princeton ultimately won that battle to help boost what I consider to be a top three class, as the Tigers now have four 5-stars and six juniors ranked in the Top 35. There was definitely a heavy Massachusetts flavor in this class, with Lynch, Jack Czepiel, Finn Kilbourne, and George Caldroney, who grew up in Massachusetts before transferring to IMG Academy and moving to Bradenton with his family.

For the most part, a lot of the Class of 2027 five-star destinations made sense and were what a lot of folks expected. But in recruiting, you have to expect the unexpected. With that being said, I figured I'd shine a light on five decisions that jumped off the page when they occurred — some were shocking, some were surprising, and some were both shocking and surprising.