Terp Classic: 2028 Offensive Weapons Who Made Noise

As always, the annual Terp Classic was jam-packed with the next crop of up-and-coming young talent, and a multitude of college coaches (with full or near-full '27 classes) were getting eyes on the sophomore class early. <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2025/11/terp-classic-promising-class-of-2028-defenders">On Tuesday, we highlighted a strong group of promising defensemen</a>, and today, we're back with a look at some offensive prospects that look like they'll be highly recruited next fall.    Getting things done in a multitude of ways, Taylor was a consistent force for 4 Leaf throughout the weekend. The younger brother of Grady — a Cornell freshman midfielder and Prep Lacrosse's No. 38 incoming freshman — Zach possesses a dynamic skill set that allows him to thrive both above and below the goal line. Time and time again, he attacked his matchup and dodged hard to the rack, while also making an impact on ground balls and in the ride. On one occasion, Taylor separated on a quick restart from the corner and slipped a shot inside the near post. His best play of the weekend, though, came when he buried a beautiful bouncer while shooting around his defender in eye-popping fashion during a crucial time. With impeccable stick skills and an innate feel for the game, Taylor was a ton of fun to watch, serving as the straw that stirred the drink for his squad, much like his brother in the '25 cycle.     Simply put, Mulderig was a problem at the Terp Classic. A two-handed offensive weapon who gets to high-percentage spots at will, he consistently beats his man off the dodge, often favoring a hitch or face dodge. What stood out most was his creativity and confidence to finish with flair — backed up by elite hands, stick skills, and strong stick protection that kept his efficiency high. From mid-range, he shot with purpose and precision, changing release points and placement to keep goalies guessing. Always in attack mode, Mulderig applied constant pressure, and quite frankly, defenses had no answer for him. After posting 100-plus points last year at Longmeadow (Mass.), he's now 45 minutes north with the Big Green. If this weekend served as any indication, Mulderig is bound to dazzle this spring.     'Smooth operator' is the term that comes to mind whenever I've watched Strohmeier. Far from an unknown commodity at this early stage, he has already made quite a name as an underclassman, having caught my eye during my brief time watching 2028's at NILLY in late July. A gifted passer who is blessed with excellent vision and skills that are off-the-charts, he performs with tremendous poise and is never not making the right play. In addition to his ability as a dodger and facilitator out of the midfield, he also showed some grit when he absolutely flattened a kid on the ride in one of the more head-turning plays I saw all weekend.     Malkiel's size stands out, especially given that he's four to five inches taller than his brother, Porter, a sophomore at Princeton, and Mackie, a senior committed to Utah. Unlike many players his age, he knows how to use his size to his advantage when initiating contact with defenders—an area that will only improve as he gains confidence. He went off for a hat trick in a 6-3 win over Hilltop, finishing in traffic and scoring while drawing a flag. A threat every time the ball is in his stick, he floats athletically and is generally a bear to handle, and he was able to make noteworthy plays under duress. Malkiel had a series of impressive complementary plays, including a gorgeous one-handed groundball in traffic. Going forward, improving his off-hand will be paramount, but he checks just about every other box.     It's early, but Whitehouse looks every bit like he'll be one of the most sought-after offensive recruits in the Class of 2028. He was easily the most productive and dominant player that I evaluated all weekend, producing a goal and two assists against ADVNC and a hat trick plus a pair of assists against the NH Tomahawks. Good things happened whenever he was on the field, and his dynamic offensive ability changes the way teams defend Leading Edge, given that he's one of several incredibly talented weapons. As a shooter, he's armed with a ridiculous release and is stunningly accurate, doing a phenomenal job shooting for the pipes to net offside high takes that tend to be tough for goalies to get to. I was also wildly impressed with his ability as a passer and how well he throws guys open or finds teammates with skip passes. He's just special across the board, and I can't wait to see more of Whitehouse and the Leading Edge 2028s going forward.     Olender reminds me a lot of some of the highly touted Haverford middies that I covered 10-15 years ago, which is quite a compliment considering how many horses the Fords produced during that time. In many ways, he has the skills and hands of an attackman, and he pairs that with exceptional athleticism. Drawing slides every time in the process, he's able to make his man miss with his first step, acceleration, and overall dodging prowess. Beyond being a confident and formidable gun-slinger, he can also throw it back once he gets defenses rotating and has better vision than most natural middies. Olender got his feet wet at the varsity level as a freshman and showed flashes of brilliance when given the opportunity, but I can't help but think that he'll break through and be an issue for the rest of the Inter-Ac as a sophomore and beyond.

As always, the annual Terp Classic was jam-packed with the next crop of up-and-coming young talent, and a multitude of college coaches (with full or near-full '27 classes) were getting eyes on the sophomore class early.

On Tuesday, we highlighted a strong group of promising defensemen, and today, we're back with a look at some offensive prospects that look like they'll be highly recruited next fall.