Poles With Potential: Five Uncommitted 2028 Maryland Defenders

<a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2026/10/still-on-the-board-five-uncommitted-2028-maryland-midfielders/" data-type="link" data-id="https://preplacrosse.com/2026/10/still-on-the-board-five-uncommitted-2028-maryland-midfielders/">After looking at five uncommitted midfielders in Maryland</a>, we're turning to the defenders still on the board in the 2028 class. Two Maryland defenders in <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/national/player-rankings/2028-mid-atlantic-region-rankings/" data-type="link" data-id="https://preplacrosse.com/national/player-rankings/2028-mid-atlantic-region-rankings/">our Mid-Atlantic rankings</a> remain uncommitted, and we've previously covered both: No. 83 [player_tooltip player_id='201403' first='Emmitt' last='Donoho'] (Boys' Latin/Crabs) and No. 87 [player_tooltip player_id='172112' first='Mason' last='Hemphill']. Another player we've covered who belongs in that conversation is LSM [player_tooltip player_id='171639' first='Dominic' last='Chavis'] (Calvert Hall/FCA Maryland).   Donoho and Chavis impressed for Team Maryland at the Nike All-Star Games at the end of the summer, while Hemphill was a force between the lines for Good Counsel and Next Level over the summer.   Here are five more uncommitted 2028 Maryland poles with the potential to make an impact at the next level.    I loved watching Madlax's LSMs this summer. [player_tooltip player_id='172407' first='Ryan' last='McDermott'] and Rump flew around the field from line to line, with Rump taking on more of the enforcer role. On face-off wings, he collapsed quickly, making opposing FOGOs wish they had longer elbow pads. As a slide defender, he was eager to fire and jump ball carriers. On the ball, he pressed out and made life difficult for dodgers from the start. That's what you want in an LSM. As a coach, you'd rather rein a player in than have to light a fire under him. Still, Rump knows when to settle in, keep his bottom hand in his "hip pocket," and play sound defense.     Schray's height may not start with a "6," but look past that, and there's plenty of potential in his game. He's the type of player who clearly listens to coaching, because his fundamentals show up everywhere. His approaches are textbook, and he stays in an athletic stance both on and off the ball. That attention to detail can be hard to find in the summer heat, and it helped him hold his own against some of the best attackmen he faced this summer and again yesterday at IL's IDX event. Active off the ground and in the clear, Schray plays with confidence all over the field, making him one of the top uncommitted defenders left in Maryland.     Seeing both Marmen and [player_tooltip player_id='202249' first='Brayden' last='Sander'] on the Northstars this summer made me wonder if something in the Bel Air water makes defenders grow as tall as trees. At 6-foot-6, Marmen makes dodgers work to get out of his reach. Between his reach and the ground he covers, dodgers have to do more than gain a step to keep their sticks safe. That's not to say he's slow, either. If I had to put him in one positional category, I'd lean toward LSM. He presses out, plays aggressively on the ball, and is a legitimate threat in transition. At the very least, you're getting a lefty defender who eats up space off the ball and has a knack for finding opportune time to double ball carriers and put the ball on the turf.     Think about what it takes to be a quality LSM without towering height: a good stick, constant activity between the lines, and a knack for X-factor plays. LaRocco checks all three boxes. Defensively, he matches up well against smaller, quicker dodgers, meeting them outside the box and staying with them through changes of direction. His quickness shows up off the ball, too. He jumps ball carriers on rollbacks and recovers quickly to erase advantages. LaRocco's wing and transition play are what really set him apart. He's a vacuum on face-off wings and handles his pole like a short stick once he gets the ball.     Another addition to Coach Bell's defensive haul this year, Stewart joins Aidan Owens as a '28 transfer. He fits the mold of an LSM: eager to pressure, active between the lines, and comfortable with the ball in his stick. He's the type of pole who foams at the mouth when he sees a stick hanging because he's going to find it. The same urgency shows up when the ball hits the turf. Regardless of where he's playing, he wants to get up and out. In transition, Stewart pushes the tempo, drawing defenders to him or looking to get his own. Even after the initial advantage disappears, he'll try to cut back into the play and steal an easy goal through the substitution game. Whether he's playing up top or down low, I'd like to see more from him in his 1v1 defense.

After looking at five uncommitted midfielders in Maryland, we're turning to the defenders still on the board in the 2028 class. Two Maryland defenders in our Mid-Atlantic rankings remain uncommitted, and we've previously covered both: No. 83 Emmitt Donoho Emmitt Donoho 6'2" | D | Right Hand The Boys Latin School of Maryland | 2028 MD (Boys' Latin/Crabs) and No. 87 Mason Hemphill Mason Hemphill 6'3" | 170 lbs | LSM/D | Left Hand Our Lady of Good Counsel | 2028 MD . Another player we've covered who belongs in that conversation is LSM Dominic Chavis Dominic Chavis 5'10" | 185 lbs | LSM/D | Right Hand Calvert Hall College | 2028 MD (Calvert Hall/FCA Maryland).

Donoho and Chavis impressed for Team Maryland at the Nike All-Star Games at the end of the summer, while Hemphill was a force between the lines for Good Counsel and Next Level over the summer.

Here are five more uncommitted 2028 Maryland poles with the potential to make an impact at the next level.

Sullivan Rump

HEIGHT 6'3"

POS LSM/D

CLASS 2028

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Sullivan Rump

State: Maryland

School: Georgetown Preparatory School

Club: Madlax Capital

I loved watching Madlax's LSMs this summer. Poles With Potential: Five Uncommitted 2028 Maryland Defenders Poles With Potential: Five Uncommitted 2028 Maryland Defenders and Rump flew around the field from line to line, with Rump taking on more of the enforcer role. On face-off wings, he collapsed quickly, making opposing FOGOs wish…

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Brendan Schray

HEIGHT 5'10"

WEIGHT 160

POS D/LSM

CLASS 2028

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Brendan Schray

State: Maryland

School: Our Lady of Good Counsel

Club: Mad Dog National

Schray's height may not start with a "6," but look past that, and there's plenty of potential in his game. He's the type of player who clearly listens to coaching, because his fundamentals show up everywhere. His approaches are textbook, and he stays in an athletic stance both on and off the ball. That attention to detail can be hard to find in the summer heat, and it helped him hold his own against some of the best attackmen he faced this summer and again yesterday at IL's IDX event. Active off the ground and in the clear, Schray plays with confidence all over the field, making him one of the top uncommitted defenders left in Maryland.

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Nolan Marmen

HEIGHT 6'6"

WEIGHT 225

POS D/LSM

CLASS 2028

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Nolan Marmen

State: Maryland

School: John Carroll

Club: Silverbacks, Northstars

Seeing both Marmen and Poles With Potential: Five Uncommitted 2028 Maryland Defenders Poles With Potential: Five Uncommitted 2028 Maryland Defenders on the Northstars this summer made me wonder if something in the Bel Air water makes defenders grow as tall as trees. At 6-foot-6, Marmen makes dodgers work to get out of…

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Nicholas LaRocco

HEIGHT 5'10"

WEIGHT 160

POS LSM/D

CLASS 2028

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Nicholas LaRocco

State: Maryland

School: Loyola Blakefield

Club: Crabs

Think about what it takes to be a quality LSM without towering height: a good stick, constant activity between the lines, and a knack for X-factor plays. LaRocco checks all three boxes. Defensively, he matches up well against smaller, quicker dodgers, meeting them outside the box and staying with them through changes of direction. His quickness shows up off the ball, too. He jumps ball carriers on rollbacks and recovers quickly to erase advantages. LaRocco's wing and transition play are what really set him apart. He's a vacuum on face-off wings and handles his pole like a short stick once he gets the ball.

Highlights

Jude Stewart

HEIGHT 6'4"

WEIGHT 215

POS LSM/D

CLASS 2028

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Jude Stewart

State: Maryland

School: The Bullis School

Club: DC Express

Another addition to Coach Bell's defensive haul this year, Stewart joins Aidan Owens as a '28 transfer. He fits the mold of an LSM: eager to pressure, active between the lines, and comfortable with the ball in his stick. He's the type of pole who foams at the mouth when he sees a stick hanging because he's going to find it. The same urgency shows up when the ball hits the turf. Regardless of where he's playing, he wants to get up and out. In transition, Stewart pushes the tempo, drawing defenders to him or looking to get his own. Even after the initial advantage disappears, he'll try to cut back into the play and steal an easy goal through the substitution game. Whether he's playing up top or down low, I'd like to see more from him in his 1v1 defense.