Midfield Heat: The South’s 2028 Class

<a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2026/08/southern-2028-defenders-bringing-the-heat/" data-type="link" data-id="https://preplacrosse.com/2026/08/southern-2028-defenders-bringing-the-heat/">After looking at five South defenders yesterday</a>, we turn our attention to five Southern midfielders. The South is loaded with offensive talent. Midfielders like [player_tooltip player_id='172156' first='Edward' last='Fisher'], [player_tooltip player_id='166534' first='Cole' last='Kopittke'], [player_tooltip player_id='179350' first='Luke' last='Carroll'], and [player_tooltip player_id='143803' first='Jake' last='Struznik'] immediately come to mind, but there are plenty more. That list only grows when you include players capable of making an impact at both attack and midfield.   Here are five more Southern midfielders who brought the heat with their summer play.    Besides Harrison Tyler, I am not sure anyone in the 2028 class can roll back like [player_tooltip player_id='165862' first='Asher' last='Lear']. He has a put-your-foot-in-the-ground, roll, and shrug-off-pressure go-to move that he can use all over the field to get his hands free. It makes him incredibly hard to guard when he is carrying down the alley with his left hand, because defenders have to sit on that rollback. But he also loves to keep carrying and turn it into an S-dodge to get to the doorstep.   If that is not enough, he still has shiftiness and physicality in his dodges and can feed and finish with his left when he needs to. His unique windup also contributes to his scoring ability, both on the run and on stepdowns. He holds the stick low and behind him, then loves to finish with a smooth three-quarter or sidearm release that he can place well.     There is a level that elite dodgers reach where they can play with a defense. They can change speeds and directions, see where they end up, and take what the defense gives them. They do not have to rely solely on speed to get what they want. Luke Moss has that ability, and he is especially dangerous because of how two-handed he is. He played the lefty attack spot this spring as a natural righty.   He is effective as both an attackman and a midfielder, but I especially like him above the cage, dodging from the wings and sweeping to the middle, where he can keep his head up and play with a defense. If he is overplayed, he can roll back or split back to his other hand. He is effective in that same concept behind the cage and has great vision to skip the ball through the defense when slides come. He plays with his top hand lower on his stick when shooting and loves to finish with a smooth underhand or sidearm release.     Hailing from the great city of Miami, Torres capped off his summer with an honorable mention on the All-Tournament Team at the NB All-America event, becoming the only player from the South team to receive honors. His game checks a lot of boxes for a classic midfielder. One of his favorite looks comes when he dodges at an angle from the top of the box with his left hand, splitting or rolling back before hitting his shot down the alley.   There is more to his game as an initiator, though. He can dodge well from the wings, even on his wrong side, and from behind the cage, where he frequently finds his way to the doorstep. When slides come, he is an incredible feeder who zips the ball through tight windows. He is also comfortable finishing through pressure with a right-handed underhand or sidearm release off a roll back. Off the ball, he finds open windows for stepdowns, cuts well adjacent to the ball in the fade position, and makes hard cuts when the ball comes from behind.     When it comes to two-way ability, Gray may be one of the best in the South because of the talent he brings from endline to endline. In the first two events where I saw him this summer, I only had offensive stats for him. His natural movement shows up on the offensive end, where he slips and tucks his stick through defenses to get his hands free on the run or in tight. Off the ball, he understands how to move away from the slide package and find soft spots for easy finishes.   Between the lines, in the clearing game, and on defense is where you really have to pay attention to appreciate his game. Off the wings on face-offs, his athleticism usually puts him out in front to scoop groundballs. He is hard to beat on defense. One play that sticks out came in the NAL championship, when he was defending at X, got his stick up to knock down a pass, then pushed the tempo the other way. He excels in those transition scenarios. The way he moves as a one-man clear and his ability to be a threat in early offense make him incredibly well-rounded.     Thomson, a Showtime invitee, is owed an evaluation from the event after putting up a hat trick on the final day against Team Four. Thomson's game stands out because of his ability to get to the middle of the field and generate quality looks. To start his dodges, he frequently gets an instant step with a variety of moves that shift a defender's weight and leave them behind.   At Showtime and the Iron Bowl, he found his way through the middle of the defense on multiple occasions. If defenses are smart enough to force him down the alley, Thomson still finds a way to turn the corner and get in front, or redodge and find new angles where he can finish with either hand.