Midwest '28s: Commits, College Connections, and Who's Available

<p>Before the September 9 first-contact date, <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/national/player-rankings/2028-midwest-region-rankings/" data-type="link" data-id="https://preplacrosse.com/national/player-rankings/2028-midwest-region-rankings/">we ranked 75 Midwest players and named 30 more to the watchlist</a>. As we head into the next phase of the recruiting cycle, 40 of those prospects have committed to 24 college programs. Here's a bird's-eye view of the region's '28 class—where players are headed, the connections behind their commitments, and the talent still on the board. Unless otherwise noted, rankings refer to our Midwest list.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">ACC and Big Ten: Top Dogs (7 Commits)</h2>   <p>The top five players in our Midwest rankings, all nationally ranked, are headed to ACC or Big Ten programs. The ACC landed three of the top five: No. 1 [player_tooltip player_id='163159' first='PJ' last='Kennedy'], No. 3 [player_tooltip player_id='166531' first='Dylan' last='Choi'], and No. 5 [player_tooltip player_id='179342' first='Ben' last='Sullivan'].</p>   <p>Culver attackman [player_tooltip player_id='163159' first='PJ' last='Kennedy'] committed to Duke on September 14. In Durham, he'll team up with Prep Lacrosse's top-ranked national prospect, [player_tooltip player_id='168588' first='Landen' last='O'Neil']—a pairing I'm especially excited to see at the next level. Choi, his Culver teammate, is staying in the Midwest after committing to Notre Dame. The explosive netminder was in the conversation for the class's top goalie, sitting just 10 spots behind [player_tooltip player_id='165876' first='Weston' last='Guerra'], the highest-ranked '28 goalkeeper, in our national rankings.</p>   <p>Sullivan, a public school product from New Trier, will bring his burst and athleticism to North Carolina. He has the tools to carve out a role sooner rather than later. The ACC haul isn't all scorers and saves. No. 8 [player_tooltip player_id='170723' first='Jaxon' last='Crouse'] chose Syracuse, giving the Orange an athletic competitor at SSDM.</p>   <p>The Big Ten picked up three players from the Midwest, with Ohio State landing No. 4 [player_tooltip player_id='179347' first='Chase' last='Jackson'] and No. 25 [player_tooltip player_id='165858' first='Dante' last='Federighi']. Jackson comes from New Albany, Ohio, while Federighi comes from Lake Forest, Illinois. Both are athletically gifted midfielders with two-way potential. Crouse's WRA teammate, No. 2 [player_tooltip player_id='199020' first='Gunner' last='Flanagan'], found his home at Penn State when he announced his commitment in late September. The Western Reserve, Resolute, and Red Hots product is one of the very best two-way midfielders in the entire country. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Patriot League (10 Commits) </h2>   <p>The Patriot League leads the region with 10 commitments, and its Midwest haul began on day one of the service academies' recruiting window. Navy secured [player_tooltip player_id='202539' first='Tommy' last='Standfast'] and his older triplet brothers, Geoff, Jack, and Brady, on July 1. Their choice continues a family connection to the Academy: their mother, Caren, and sister, Annie, are Navy graduates. The Navy-Culver connection continued when the Midshipmen added [player_tooltip player_id='142235' first='Nate' last='Szweda'], ranked No. 23 in the Midwest. Szweda fits the Navy mold well, bringing much more than scoring ability with his versatility out of the box, hustle in the ride, and energy off the ball.</p>   <p>Boston U. returned to the Culver pipeline after landing [player_tooltip player_id='45351' first='Max' last='Pasquale'] last year, adding Mad Dog National poles [player_tooltip player_id='165872' first='Ted' last='Pablecas'] and [player_tooltip player_id='201927' first='William' last='Dodds'], ranked No. 10 and No. 19 in the Midwest, respectively. The two bring different defensive styles, giving the Terriers a complementary pairing to build around. Boston U also snagged the region's No. 32 prospect, [player_tooltip player_id='172329' first='Evan' last='Mazur'], an explosive and versatile Wisconsin scorer who stood out at Showtime and with Team Illinois this summer.</p>   <p>Army landed [player_tooltip player_id='165871' first='Brigg' last='McKay'] on July 1, securing the nation's No. 53 prospect, the Midwest's No. 6 player, and the region's top-ranked defender. Another Culver and Mad Dog National product, McKay has the tools to compete with the top defensive prospects headed to ACC and Big Ten programs. <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2026/10/army-starts-hot-keeps-building-impressive-2028-class/" data-type="link" data-id="https://preplacrosse.com/2026/10/army-starts-hot-keeps-building-impressive-2028-class/">For a closer look at Army's class, check out Ty Xanders' breakdown.</a></p>   <p>Loyola added a Midwest piece to its '28 class in No. 34 [player_tooltip player_id='181990' first='Peter' last='Glynias'], a Chaminade (Mo.) SSDM developed through Project Missouri and Project Midwest. Glynias showed his range and cover ability over the summer, giving the Greyhounds another highly ranked Prep Lacrosse regional prospect from outside the traditional hotbeds.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ivy League (5 Commits) </h2>   <p>Brown landed a nice Midwest haul in [player_tooltip player_id='202379' first='Owen' last='Scarlett'], [player_tooltip player_id='165377' first='Tommy' last='Baringhaus'], and [player_tooltip player_id='175341' first='Sanchez' last='Rucker'], ranked No. 9, No. 11, and No. 21 in the region, respectively. Ontario's Scarlett brothers are taking separate paths to Brown and Johns Hopkins, echoing fellow Ontarians, the English brothers, who also split between the two programs. His versatility at close defense and LSM fits nicely into Brown's '28 class, as does the two-way play of Culver teammate Rucker. Rucker did work on both sides of the ball in the spring and throughout the summer. Baringhaus anchored the Project Midwest and Resolute defense over the summer, locking down opposing attackmen, staying steady in the clear, and creating chances in transition.</p>   <p>True Illinois' Ivy League reach extends beyond Scarlett, with [player_tooltip player_id='201928' first='Dom' last='Frieri'] headed to Dartmouth and [player_tooltip player_id='190693' first='Luke' last='Mills'] to Cornell. Dartmouth scored early in September with Frieri, ranked No. 93 nationally and No. 7 in the Midwest. Another versatile Culver product, the lefty attackman initiates offense by dodging from multiple spots, shoots well on the run, and finishes inside. He also takes pride in the ride, a trait Coach Euker instills in his Culver players.</p>   <p>Cornell secured its goalie in Mills, ranked No. 18 in the Midwest. True Illinois' lone goalie throughout the summer, Mills stonewalled top talent, made saves he had no business making, and kept his team in games.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">America East (5 Commits) </h2>   <p>America East pulled five players from Midwest soil, and most came with Project Midwest and Resolute roots. Bryant double-dipped at Archbishop Moeller (Ohio), landing the team's second- and third-leading scorers in [player_tooltip player_id='201374' first='Wyatt' last='Brotherton'] (31 goals, 21 assists) and [player_tooltip player_id='201273' first='Chase' last='Novak'] (18 goals, 23 assists), ranked No. 22 and No. 29 in the Midwest, respectively. The Bulldogs also scored big with the region's No. 46 prospect, Missouri SSDM [player_tooltip player_id='201458' first='Brock' last='Chisam'], who capped his summer by earning Nike NASG Tournament MVP honors while playing for Team Midwest.</p>   <p>UAlbany secured two Project Midwest/Resolute products in midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='198096' first='Brayden' last='King'] and defender [player_tooltip player_id='202377' first='Brody' last='Ray'], ranked No. 33 and No. 52 in the Midwest, respectively. Two dawgs who represent the region well, King and Ray play with a chip on their shoulders and have the versatility to fill multiple roles as Great Danes.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Elsewhere Around the Region</h2>   <p>Fairfield's Missouri connection runs through No. 17 [player_tooltip player_id='201123' first='Jake' last='Williams'] (Chaminade) and No. 24 [player_tooltip player_id='178829' first='Wyatt' last='Giles'] (MICDS), both Project Midwest/Project Missouri products. Richmond secured Ohio's No. 13 [player_tooltip player_id='201026' first='Ryan' last='Chrustowski'] (Western Reserve, True Illinois), while Robert Morris added his Western Reserve teammate, No. 39 [player_tooltip player_id='143588' first='Tommy' last='Demeter'].</p>   <p>Bellarmine picked up Illinois' No. 53 [player_tooltip player_id='172267' first='Lucas' last='Beck'] and Kansas' No. 69 Will Parr, a Project KC product. In the MAAC, Manhattan added Missouri's No. 62 [player_tooltip player_id='201429' first='Ed' last='Massey'], Marist landed Illinois' No. 55 [player_tooltip player_id='202493' first='Grant' last='Gagnon'], and Quinnipiac secured Illinois watchlist prospect [player_tooltip player_id='212561' first='Luca' last='Lignelli'].</p>   <p>Utah landed a matching pair of 6-foot-2 LSM/D prospects in Ohio's No. 16 [player_tooltip player_id='181997' first='Erno' last='Merritt'] and Illinois' No. 20 [player_tooltip player_id='165868' first='Charlie' last='Sommers']. Denver added Ohio's No. 14 [player_tooltip player_id='197971' first='Michael' last='Selan'] and Indiana's No. 54 [player_tooltip player_id='201055' first='Dixon' last='Hornsby']. <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2026/10/go-west-how-air-force-denver-and-utah-have-fared-with-2028s/" data-type="link" data-id="https://preplacrosse.com/2026/10/go-west-how-air-force-denver-and-utah-have-fared-with-2028s/">For a closer look at Utah's class, check out Ty Xanders' breakdown.</a></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Plenty Left on the Table</h2>   <p>College coaches should be feasting in the Midwest this fall. As of publication, 65 players from our Midwest rankings and watchlist remain uncommitted—36 ranked prospects and 29 watchlist players. [player_tooltip player_id='201372' first='Jackson' last='Szabo'], the region's No. 12 prospect, is one of the most notable. A football quarterback <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/jackson-szabo/" data-type="link" data-id="https://prepredzone.com/player/jackson-szabo/">featured multiple times on Prep Redzone</a>, Szabo has options to weigh when choosing which sport to pursue at the next level. Another Ohio football player, No. 28 [player_tooltip player_id='201178' first='Bryce' last='Decaro'], also remains on the board. Both are Resolute products worth watching as their recruitments unfold.</p>   <p>Beyond those two, here are three more uncommitted prospects in each positional group. Rankings refer to our Midwest list; WL denotes a watchlist player.</p>   <p><strong>Poles</strong> </p>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>No. 15 [player_tooltip player_id='212532' first='Spencer' last='Fielden'] — Mason, Resolute/Project Midwest</li>   <li>No. 27 [player_tooltip player_id='165423' first='Andrew' last='Beymer'] — Worthington Kilbourne, Resolute/Project Midwest</li>   <li>No. 35 [player_tooltip player_id='212536' first='Ty' last='Longo'] — Detroit Catholic Central, True National</li> </ul>   <p><strong>Offense</strong></p>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>No. 31 [player_tooltip player_id='212905' first='Collin' last='Goodwater'] — Benilde-St. Margaret's, True National</li>   <li>No. 43 [player_tooltip player_id='174271' first='Will' last='Dama'] — Waunakee, Resolute/Project Midwest</li>   <li>No. 44 [player_tooltip player_id='201599' first='Dean' last='Hughes'] — Portage Northern, Stealth</li> </ul>   <p><strong>Two-Way/SSDM</strong></p>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>No. 30 [player_tooltip player_id='163454' first='Brody' last='Brozek'] — Culver, Evolve</li>   <li>No. 37 [player_tooltip player_id='202371' first='Gabriel' last='Hayden'] — Western Reserve, True Illinois</li>   <li>No. 48 [player_tooltip player_id='202196' first='Eli' last='Chapa'] — Western Reserve, True Illinois</li> </ul>   <p><strong>Face-Off</strong></p>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>No. 59 [player_tooltip player_id='202381' first='Crew' last='Orange'] — Forest Hills Eastern, Project Midwest</li>   <li>No. 64 [player_tooltip player_id='143729' first='Drake' last='Smoter'] — Culver, Mad Dog National</li>   <li>WL [player_tooltip player_id='212566' first='Graham' last='Delger'] — Chanhassen, Team Minnesota</li> </ul>   <p><strong>Goalies</strong></p>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>No. 26 [player_tooltip player_id='201108' first='Sam' last='Carpenter'] — St. Xavier, Resolute/Project Midwest</li>   <li>No. 47 [player_tooltip player_id='201113' first='Brayden' last='Swiney'] — Upper Arlington, Resolute/Project Midwest</li>   <li>No. 75 [player_tooltip player_id='212550' first='Koen' last='Veenis'] — Mahtomedi, Team Minnesota</li> </ul>

Before the September 9 first-contact date, we ranked 75 Midwest players and named 30 more to the watchlist. As we head into the next phase of the recruiting cycle, 40 of those prospects have committed to 24 college programs. Here's a bird's-eye view of the region's '28 class—where players are headed, the connections behind their commitments, and the talent still on the board. Unless otherwise noted, rankings refer to our Midwest list.