IMLCA Players Summit: 2028 Southern Standouts

Florida provided a proving ground for the 2028 class at the IMLCA Players Summit, and a group of Southern prospects showed they belong in the national conversation. Against strong competition and long days, these players consistently made winning plays and flashed tools that translate to the next level.    One of the stars of the IMLCA Sunday playoff slate was Grant Jenkins, who was a huge factor in 91 South's 7–6 quarterfinal win over Long Island Express. He played the entire game and, by my count, finished with at least seven saves, including a clutch stop late when it mattered most. Jenkins has soft hands and plays with a deeper pocket, which helps him make clean saves and control rebounds. He operates out of a lower, loaded stance and is ready to explode to high shots or collapse quickly on low ones. He was especially locked in down low, relying on pure reaction rather than guessing. When he makes clean saves, he looks to push the tempo with quick outlets, and he's more than willing to make plays outside the crease—scooping ground balls and escaping pressure in the clear.     When it comes to left-handed attackmen in the 2028 class, Cole Sovie is a name to know. A recent transfer to IMG Academy after putting up 61 goals and 33 assists as a freshman at Charlotte Catholic, his blend of speed, size, dodging, and scoring ability is as good as it gets. As a dodger, he's a chameleon. He knows when to lean on his straight-line speed and blast off to free his hands, but <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DSOZKaKjNYc/">he's just as comfortable slowing things down with stop-and-go dodges. </a>Help has to be ready the moment the ball is in his stick, and when he mixes in hesitation moves, slide timing gets thrown off completely. If defenses do slide, he'll punish them by finding open teammates. What really puts Sovie over the top is his shooting deception. He throws goalies off with a variety of releases, but his ability to yank the ball high with his underhand and sidearm, both on the run and with his feet set, is impressive. Without the ball, he creates scoring chances by moving well and finishing in multiple ways. It'll be interesting to see how Sovie fits into the IMG offense moving forward.     Finn Campbell had an impressive half in True National's consolation game against Leading Edge, finishing with seven saves and just one goal allowed. That says a lot if you know anything about Leading Edge's 2028 squad. He made stops all over the cage—high, low, and on bouncers. One Division I coach next to me said, “He's one of the best low goalies I've seen in the class, but he can still clean up high bouncers.” Campbell moves efficiently in the cage, both with his feet and getting his hands to the ball, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DSP7MzjgMd0/">his wide stance helps him go pipe to pipe without wasted movement.</a> He's also intentional about getting the ball out quickly and throws a clean ball in the clearing game. If he keeps stacking halves like that against top offenses, he's going to force a lot more people to take notice.     Miller Merritt has incredible upside at 6'4" (and still growing) and is an impressive mover for his size. He's a lefty, but does a lot of damage from behind the cage where he's comfortable using both hands. When he gets near the goal line, you have to slide to him—and even then, he finds ways around it. He has straight-line speed, is shifty and nimble on his feet, and his size allows him to absorb contact without getting knocked off his path. When it's time to finish, he's extremely crafty. He shows a full bag around the cage—underhand, backhand, question marks, you name it—and consistently finds ways to free his hands and shoot around defenders. With his feet set, he can use those different release points to generate real velocity on his shot.     A player who stood out for pure upside at the IMLCA Players Summit was Ped Hunt. There's no question that he has tremendous skill with the ball. He's one of the faster players in the class, and he uses that speed when he dodges on sweeps, down the alley, or coming up the hashes. When you add in the fact that he can uncork it with both hands, he becomes a real problem for opposing defenses. When he has time and room, the ball rockets out of his pocket and can blow past most goalies. When he doesn't have time, his catch-and-release is quick and compact. His speed gives him real two-way potential, but being more active off-ball on both ends will be an important next step in his development.

Florida provided a proving ground for the 2028 class at the IMLCA Players Summit, and a group of Southern prospects showed they belong in the national conversation. Against strong competition and long days, these players consistently made winning plays and flashed tools that translate to the next level.