NE 2028s — Week 1 Superlatives: Catalyst, Underrated, and More

<p>It's been a frantic week of action in the recruiting world. 2028s have been able to commit to schools since last Wednesday, and plenty of players have made their choices in that time. In New England, home to many of the nation's top prep schools, there has been no shortage of impactful commitments.</p>   <p>Among the commits that came between Wednesday and Wednesday — <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2026/09/first-48-hours-reacting-to-new-englands-wave-of-28-commits/">and weren't covered in our takeaways from the first 48 hours of Class of 2028 recruitment</a> — here are four players whose decisions stood out in different ways.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Biggest Surprise</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Ika was always a first-week talent; however, I do think it's a bit of a shock that he's going to Penn. During last season, coaches could not get enough of his game. Slick and refined with just a touch of hubris. That's what you need to be a big-time college scorer. I know I'm not the only person who thought Ika was going to end up at an ACC, Big 10, or Ivy League program, but with Penn's hardline push this fall, and their concentration on defenders in the '27 class, we may be seeing just how effective second-year head coach Taylor Wray's pitches are. It also helps that his brother Trae played for Wray when he was the head coach at St. Joseph's.</p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><br>Most Unexpected</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">I think this is a surprise just because Murphy is one of those players who has so much potential to be more than his position. He is a shortstick defender by trade, but he's not just a blunt object smashing into O-mids or flicking balls out of scrums. He's a solid six-foot-two middie who runs the field with boundless energy, soaks shots like he's in a barroom brawl, and pummels alley dodgers. No hip is safe from this man's crosscheck. As he gets more time at Bishop Guertin, expect him to develop even more offensive characteristics to round out his skill set. I don't know if anyone even had him on their board, much less going this early, but that's also the sad life of the D-mid - no matter how productive they may be.</p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class Catalyst</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">If nominative determinism were a lacrosse player, it would be [player_tooltip player_id='125380' first='Grey' last='Wildman']. Not because his name is his game, but because he does play with feral abandon, and I mean that in the best way possible. There are a lot of buzzwords you can use to describe Wildman's game. Dynamic. Energetic. Synergistic. However, the longer form of those adjectives is what they all point to, and that is a guy that everyone wants to play with. Wildman is unselfish, but also knows how to get to the cage when his team needs a goal. More importantly, he does not stop moving when he is on the field. He's a constantly shifting threat to any defense because he can contribute by forcing switches, hockey assists, and defensive mismatches. Wildman's foot speed is not what kills you; it's the speed of his decision-making. This guy is the catalyst for Princeton's offense and maybe even the Tigers' entire class. </p>    <p></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Underrated Pickup</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Similar to his teammate [player_tooltip player_id='125324' first='OJ' last='Ika']'s commitment to Penn, Strazzini going to Yale is an eyebrow-raiser. However, not in the way you may think. Yale has had some excellent classes, but that strength mostly comes from its ability to find and develop precious gemstone talent. Strazzini is not a diamond in the rough - he's just a diamond. He has a nose for the goalmouth, excellent game IQ, and the ability to shimmy past his man to beat the slide before it even starts. Four-star, five-star- whatever. Strazzini can already handle pressure like a senior, and he's got two more years before he becomes an Eli. As a Top 100 recruit, he may not seem worthy of the "underrated" mantle, but in this context, it is apt. </p>    <p></p>

It's been a frantic week of action in the recruiting world. 2028s have been able to commit to schools since last Wednesday, and plenty of players have made their choices in that time. In New England, home to many of the nation's top prep schools, there has been no shortage of impactful commitments.