2028 New Names to Know from NILLY

The D1 NILLY event was held at the United Sports Facility in Downingtown, Pa., on July 20-21. It is a unique event because team captains draft their teams in the fall, and players have a chance to win cash. Here are five new names from the 2028 class who stood out at the event.    Lembo started the day hot at NILLY, finishing his first game with a hat trick that included two goals off right-handed stepdowns and one off a fake-and-finish from a hard cut in early offense. His shot when his feet are set is one of the best parts of his game, as he can hit the spots he wants with a quick release. This summer, he has shown plenty to like. Off his right wing, he has a primary move that starts with a hard jab, allowing him to get over the top or split and go underneath. His speed helps him beat defenders to spots and free up his hands for shots on the run or finishes in tight, where he excels. At Showtime and in the spring, he showed off some extra traits that coaches will love — junkyard dog energy on the ride and strong picking that opens up his teammates on their dodges.     I'll admit I didn't notice Troy's game as much as I should have before NILLY, but after he scored his fourth goal of the game, I really started to understand what makes him dangerous. He is a straight-line speedster who uses his quickness to his advantage all over the field. Behind the cage, he torches defenders with the ball up the hashes and off the ball on sprint fades. He uses jump shots and question marks to create separation for shots near the island, and his quick release lets him shoot around picks when they come near there. As a midfielder, defenders will not be able to slide or double him once he hits that second gear in the clear or downhill out of the box.     Throughout the summer, I viewed Gandolfo more as an SSDM. His athleticism shows up in his quickness on one-man clears, ground balls, and the ground he covers on and off the ball on D. I also saw him do some damage in transition on hard cuts in June. At NILLY, he looked more like an offensive midfielder, especially when he put up a hat trick in the first game of the day. He used his speed to get down the alley for shots, and he looked good off the ball, catching and shooting on stepdowns and inside with quick releases. If he can add some weight without losing his quickness, Gandolfo has a really bright future.     When college coaches build their midfield lines, they want different types of players, and Kosinski fits the change-of-pace role. He uses a ton of redodges, rockers, hitches, changes of direction, and speed that make him very tough to guard without a slide. On top of that, he is fast, a natural lefty, and he sets up his dodges well by squaring up and shuffling to alter approaches. He is just as dangerous as a scorer as he is as a feeder. At NILLY, he had a really impressive skip feed on the extra-man unit that stood out. He has also shown flashes of greatness with his quick release from off-ball cuts and on the defensive end.     From the limited time I have seen Sky Leonard in action at NHSLS and NILLY, he has shown great potential. He is a smaller dodger who uses his quickness to speed past defenders and throws in hesitations when he does not have a defined step to get his hands free. His shot has deception both on the run and with his feet set, as he keeps the ball behind him well and has a compact release. At NILLY, he scored off his off-ball work when he caught his defender ball-watching and finished on a sneak from behind the cage.

The D1 NILLY event was held at the United Sports Facility in Downingtown, Pa., on July 20-21. It is a unique event because team captains draft their teams in the fall, and players have a chance to win cash. Here are five new names from the 2028 class who stood out at the event.