New Names From NAL: Class of 2028 Speedsters Who Turned Heads

The annual North American Lacrosse Summer HS Invitational has long made a compelling case as the top club tournament of the year, and while the usual suspects thrived, so did several names we had yet to cover here at Prep Lacrosse. In this piece, we take a look at five such prospects, focusing on offensive weapons with speed to burn.   Luke Carroll Photo: Matt Chandik (@mattchandikmedia)    Formerly a Class of 2027 recruit at Brookfield (Conn.), Tabacco put together a standout spring after reclassing and joining a loaded Express North '28 squad. His explosiveness is a hallmark of his game and sets the stage, with Tabacco often favoring a right-to-left rollback or split as a natural left-hander who can also make things happen with his right when needed. Tabacco has a downright nasty release and shoots the ball hard and accurately, doing an excellent job of mixing up his release points and placement. As talented as he is when dodging to score, Tabacco is also a gifted feeder who loves to involve his teammates after drawing slides, and he's also known to be proficient when re-dodging, a byproduct of his high IQ. He showed a ton of flashes in his first year in one of the nation's best leagues, and his best lacrosse is clearly ahead of him.     Legacy put together a heck of an NAL campaign, notching statement wins over Prime Time and 3d New England, with Hawkins playing a key role in the team's success. Another lefty who is wildly dynamic and fleet-footed, Hawkins entered the summer with plenty of confidence after posting 44 goals and 36 assists as part of BBP's talented sophomore class. In the spring, he often operated above the cage, consistently getting back to the middle and thriving without the ball when he wasn't initiating offense himself. With Legacy, he flourished both below and above GLE, repeatedly creating advantages from behind the cage and finishing cleanly topside. Hawkins has a full bag of tricks as a dodger, but what stands out most is his feel—he knows when to deploy each move and rarely gets too cute or careless with the ball. Overall, the energy with which he plays is palpable and carries over into the riding game, where he consistently pressures defenders and helps generate extra possessions.     Coming into the summer, I must admit that I was not familiar with Sullivan's game. After several possessions at NAL, that changed rather quickly, considering Sullivan possesses the kind of pure speed that's hard to miss. He's got crazy wiggle and bounce, changing directions on a dime, then either unleashing a shot or kicking things into a higher gear upfield. Quite frankly, watching his highlights back, it's borderline preposterous how much separation Sullivan gets on his dodges. He's also sneaky without the ball and opportunistic without it, scoring a handful of goals off of rebounds over the course of the weekend, in addition to a huge fourth quarter goal in the title game thanks to his five-star teammate's rideback. While his production may have been overshadowed by some of his peers on a loaded Mad Dog roster, his athleticism and skill set spoke loudly at NAL, and I feel confident in predicting that he'll find his way to a top-end Division I program. Oh, and Sullivan is awarded bonus points for setting his spring highlight reel to 'Pass The Mic' by Beastie Boys, a timeless classic.     Because Jackson is a stalwart for one of this age group's very best teams, he's certainly the most well-known name in this article, not to mention his 6-foot-3 frame and high-end athleticism that tends to make college coaches salivate. He's a hard-charging midfielder who not only knows how to create his own shot, but has a knack for drawing attention and getting the ball to his teammates. Timed at 4.4 in the 40-yard dash, the way he moves is just flat-out different, as he gets from one restraining line to the other in the blink of an eye. He commands a longpole matchup every time he steps into the field, though at NAL and Naptown, he found himself with shortsticks on him and quickly made them each pay the price. Jackson is incredibly fun to watch, and I can't help but be intrigued to see more of him heading into a recruitment that is sure to include a who's who of top programs.     Having scouted 91 South and 91 Charlotte a handful of times this fall, I watched a handful of possessions of Carroll at NAL and wondered how I may have missed him, only to find out that he was a new addition after coming over from the Florida Crabs. The First Team All-State pick is also set to transfer from Nolensville (Tenn.) to Ensworth, which is coached by former Syracuse and Delaware goalie Parker Ferrigan. At NAL, Carroll caught my eye with his size, athleticism, and unselfishness. He's a tall drink of water who is fluid in every sense, and he's just as proficient a passer as he is a goal-scorer. Possessing a high upside, he's just scratching the surface of what he's capable of, which is obviously exciting. This past weekend, Carroll came flying out of the box on some long dodges to gain a full head of steam and had success with some alley dodges and sweeps while showing off his shot on the run. Simply put, I love where his game is headed.

The annual North American Lacrosse Summer HS Invitational has long made a compelling case as the top club tournament of the year, and while the usual suspects thrived, so did several names we had yet to cover here at Prep Lacrosse. In this piece, we take a look at five such prospects, focusing on offensive weapons with speed to burn.