Pennsylvania Colleges Score With 2028s In First Month

The contact period for the class for 2028 has been open for nearly a month now and college lacrosse programs in Pennsylvania have been securing commitments left and right.   The University of Pennsylvania was on fire during early September as Coach Wray received verbals from five talented 2028 prospects during Week 1 of recruiting for 2028s. That hot streak by the Quakers included landing Prep Lacrosse's No. 25 ranked prospect, OJ Ika.     Meanwhile Penn State found tremendous success in the middle of September as they picked up several commitments from highly regarded 2028s. One of those commitments came from our No. 15 ranked prospect, midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='129788' first='Chase' last='Aquino']. Penn State now has a total of six commits from 2028s who sit inside PL's Top 100 national rankings.   But enough about UPenn and Penn State. Today I want to shine the spotlight on five other DI programs in Pennsylvania who also did a fantastic job of securing talent over the first month of the contact period for 2028s.   Below are notes and highlights for the 2028 recruiting classes (so far) for Bucknell, Lafayette, Lehigh, St. Joe's, and Villanova.      Bucknell   The Bucknell staff was red hot during the first month of 2028 recruiting as they landed commitments from ten prospects. Headlining the Bison's Class of 2028 is Bruce Hopkins, a two-way midfielder out of Darien (CT). As a sophomore, Hopkins helped Darien capture the Connecticut Class LL state title and was named a 1st Team All-State selection. Hopkins is PL's No. 84 ranked prospect in the nation.   Two other noteworthy 2028 commitments for Bucknell during the first month of recruiting for 2028s are goalie [player_tooltip player_id='171354' first='Briggs' last='Jamison'] and attack Grayson Paik. Jamison is an agile net minder who owns imposing size and fast hands. Prior to attending Phillips-Exeter, Jamison was a standout for the Perkiomen School. Paik is a speedy and elusive midfield / attack prospect with filthy stick skills. Paik started at Landon (MD) as a sophomore and posted 24 goals.   Lafayette     The Leopards started their 2028 recruiting class by pulling in attackman Jack Brock from Briarcliff (NY). Brock is a 6-foot tall, 200-pound, quick twitch athlete with filthy stick skills who recorded 25 goals and 11 dimes during an injury shortened sophomore campaign. Lafayette also scored a commitment from versatile attackman Luke Dessi out of New York. During the 2026 high school season, Dessi (2x All-State selection) poured in 56 goals and dished out 29 assists.   On defense, Coach Myers and his staff received verbals from Iona Prep's standout duo of Jake Davies and Austin Davies. The Davies brothers are a pair of 6-foot-2 close defenders with incredible stick skills and a physical edge to their games. Chaminade caused turnover machine Calvin Sullivan is another talented 2028 pole headed to Lafayette.   Lehigh   Coach Scudder and his staff kicked off their 2028 recruiting class by pulling serious talent out of the Delaware Valley. The Mountain Hawks received commitments from Avon Gove's (PA) standout net minder [player_tooltip player_id='172976' first='Evan' last='Adams'] and Haddonfield's (NJ) versatile pole Brady Shim. Adams is an athletic and fundamentally sound goalie with an active stick. After his remarkable sophomore season (165 saves; 56.5% save rate) Adams was a 1st Team All-Ches-Mont selection. The fleet footed Shim is an athletic prospect who can play LSM or close. Shim will relentlessly pursue ball carries and then cause turnovers with his crafty stickwork or his physicality.   Lehigh also reached down into Tennessee and pulled in highly regarded close defender Thomas Levy from Memphis University School and FCA Maryland. Levy is a rangy pole with considerable size, polished footwork, and an aggressive stick. His menacing on-ball work and ground ball skills made Levy a two-time All-State selection.     St. Joe's   SJU found early success with 2028s right here in Pennsylvania. In the first week of the contact period for 2028s, the Hawks secured a commitment from Springfield's stellar two-way midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='175530' first='Mason' last='Ellis']. Last season Ellis recorded 26 goals along with 24 assists and received 1st Team All-Central League honors. St. Joe's will love that Ellis can swiftly convert turnovers and GBs into transition scoring chances.   In week two of recruiting for 2028s, the SJU staff landed [player_tooltip player_id='171993' first='Landon' last='Tierney'] out of Shady Side Academy near Pittsburgh. Tierney is an extraordinarily athletic and skilled, 6-foot-3, pole who can dominate a game between the restraining lines. Tierney owns a deep bag of stick checks and has reputation for causing turnovers via powerful overheads.   Another 2028 of note headed to Hawk Hill is McDonough lefty midfielder Ben Mather. This past summer Mather torched opponents with his quick burst, shifty moves, and elite shooting skills. Mather's string of standout club circuit performances sent his recruiting stock through the roof and the SJU staff jumped on him.   Villanova   One month in, Nova's 2028 recruiting class contains six highly touted prospects. What stands out about Villanova's 2028 group so far is the extraordinary defensive talent it contains. At the defensive end, Nova's staff has already added short stick Matthew Foraker, LSM Daniel Weissman and close defender Dash McGlone.   SSDM Foraker is a tenacious on-ball defender who frequently overpowers ball carriers with his solid frame and extremely aggressive style. Weisman is a multi-skilled pole who uses his speed and active stick to harass opponents into turnovers. Weisman is a major plus player on the face off wing too. McGlone is a close defender with intimidating size, smooth lateral movements, and a lively stick. McGlone excels at getting into ball carriers early in their dodge and stopping them cold. His scoop and go skills make McGlone a legitimate transition threat too.           Of course, early on with 2028s it has not been exclusively about defense for Villanova. The Wildcats also received a commitment from electric attack prospect Teddy Whitehouse out of Rumson-fair Haven (NJ). The left-handed Whitehouse is an absolute sniper from the lefty wing. With his size and deep bag of creative finishes, Whitehouse is a master at scoring from the low lefty attack spot too. Whitehouse sits at No. 67 in Prep Lacrosse's Top 100 national rankings.

The contact period for the class for 2028 has been open for nearly a month now and college lacrosse programs in Pennsylvania have been securing commitments left and right.