’27s One Month In: UNC’s Fast Start and Duke’s Defensive Focus

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're officially one month into Class of 2027 recruitment. So far, nearly 350 juniors — including 99 players in the Top 100 — have announced their commitments. Over the next few days, we'll highlight some of the most notable storylines. <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2025/09/notre-dame-adds-no-1-junior-jt-cross-to-bolster-loaded-27-class">After breaking down Notre Dame's class two weeks ago</a>, let's see how Tobacco Road rivals Duke and UNC fared in September.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">North Carolina</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When looking back at everything that has unfolded since Sept. 1, it makes sense to start in Chapel Hill. In many ways, the Tar Heels helped set the timeline with an aggressive approach that featured multiple “exploding offers” and a loaded visitor list on the first day of 2027 recruiting, not to mention ideal financial circumstances coming away from the House settlement. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>UNC hosted seven Top 30 prospects — plus several others — during the football team's opener, which also doubled as the start of the Bill Belichick era. The lively atmosphere couldn't prevent a 48-14 loss to TCU, but Joe Breschi and his staff still made the most of the weekend, securing a trio of defensive recruits and boosting their chances at more blue-chip talent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lawrenceville standouts [player_tooltip player_id='121315' first='Luke' last='St. Pierre'] (No. 29), a cerebral and accomplished defenseman, and fiery Long Island-bred goalie [player_tooltip player_id='16730' first='Jett' last='Stake'] (No. 30) — both rumored to be UNC leans in late August — wasted little time committing to the Tar Heels, as was the case for Highland Park defenseman [player_tooltip player_id='143468' first='Griffin' last='Hamner']. Soon after, Charlotte Catholic's [player_tooltip player_id='121442' first='James' last='Hedley'], ranked No. 2 among face-off specialists and No. 43 overall, followed suit after visiting Notre Dame but ultimately opted to stay in-state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Next, Cherry Creek (Colo.) shortstick [player_tooltip player_id='123494' first='Grant' last='Van Wyk'], Iona Prep (N.Y.) longpole [player_tooltip player_id='122950' first='Dillon' last='Gulotta'], and Loyola (Calif.) attack/middie [player_tooltip player_id='129208' first='Tripp' last='King'] jumped on board. King's decision came later than many anticipated, given that he's the son of two Tar Heel alums and had visited campus on Labor Day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From there, Carolina rattled off a run of 5-stars — plus [player_tooltip player_id='23626' first='Chris' last='Colsey'], ranked No. 21 and the top 4-star — in just a few days, with most announcements trailing the actual commitments by several days.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Colsey, a phenomenal lefty from Ridgefield (Conn.), was the first to announce on Saturday, the 15th. He was followed by No. 4 recruit [player_tooltip player_id='123459' first='Anthony' last='Asaro'], a highly athletic midfielder from Garden City (N.Y.), a 9/1 visitor and longtime Carolina lean who had silently committed earlier in the week. On Monday afternoon, No. 13 junior [player_tooltip player_id='121637' first='Cole' last='Stankavage'], another electric left-hander and a Charlotte native, announced his commitment to UNC after strongly considering a pair of Big 10 programs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 2 recruit [player_tooltip player_id='16428' first='James' last='Holbrough'], a Rochester-bred attackman for Berkshire (Mass.) and Sweetlax, was the last to announce, picking the Heels over Duke. His decision capped a dominant opening stretch that saw all but one of UNC's Sept. 1 visitors — Notre Dame commit and top-ranked junior [player_tooltip player_id='23603' first='JT' last='Cross'] — ultimately choose the Tar Heels. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was a ridiculous haul that attracted quite a bit of national buzz, and a huge bounce-back one year removed from a Class of 2026 cycle that saw Carolina miss out on five-star recruits. If this class of 12 stays intact, then the Tar Heels' staff will have plenty of young talent to work with and develop, and it will be fascinating to see how all of the pieces fit together. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Duke</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Even in today's college athletics landscape — where programs have gained new resources but must navigate roster limits — assembling Top 10 caliber classes in consecutive years remains incredibly difficult.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Duke, however, has been among the exceptions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last fall, the Blue Devils landed three Top 10 recruits on offense: No. 2 [player_tooltip player_id='16504' first='James' last='Gillis'], No. 3 [player_tooltip player_id='17746' first='Tedy' last='Frisoli'], and No. 8 [player_tooltip player_id='33955' first='Bennett' last='Matthews']. They also added three more Top 30 recruits, including the No. 31 prospect, plus three additional Top-100 players, strengthening their face-off, shortstick, and longpole units.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coming into the '27 cycle, it was no secret that defense would be the priority. While Duke was in the final two for Cross and Holbrough, securing elite defensive talent was paramount — and so far, they've done just that.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Right now, Duke has six 2027 commitments. Depending on how you view Haverford's two-way standout [player_tooltip player_id='24324' first='Finn' last='French'], all are primarily defensive players, though French is bound to develop offensively between now and then. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The class began in early-to-mid September with commitments from French (No. 28), shortstick d-middie [player_tooltip player_id='129711' first='Brady' last='Berg'] (No. 45), and No. 3 goalie [player_tooltip player_id='120633' first='Bodhi' last='Harmon'] (No. 12). Harmon, an athletic Colorado native prepping at Culver Academy in Indiana, will head to Durham just months after the graduation of four-year starter Patrick Jamieson, and he'll have no shortage of defensive weapons playing in front of him. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the days that followed, Duke secured the top two defenders in the class with Brother Rice longstick midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='129669' first='Ben' last='Waechter'] (No. 10) and Seton Hall Prep defenseman [player_tooltip player_id='121228' first='Jagger' last='Zemachson'] (No. 11). Waechter plays for upstart Stealth LC, which is led in part by former Duke All-American LSM Tyler Carpenter, so the Blue Devils were rumored to be the favorites to land Waechter's services. Both Waechter and Zemachson also strongly considered Virginia and Notre Dame, so it was massive to land them both and keep them away from their ACC counterparts. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last week, the Blue Devils picked up one of the last two remaining Top 50 recruits in Milton Academy (Mass.) and Laxachusetts standout [player_tooltip player_id='143368' first='Dion' last='Kitsos'], a physical specimen ranked No. 41 overall. All three not only pass the eye test in terms of size and skill, but have plenty of LSM/close versatility. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From here, Duke can probably afford to wait, find a late bloomer, or poach offensive and face-off recruits, as the Blue Devils likely have two or three spots remaining after taking 12 recruits in the Class of 2026. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->