I doubt that anyone would have predicted Tabacco’s move to Jacksonville before the window opened. A midfielder with a slasher’s mentality and a bag full of dodges is what every team wants to get in the first month of this window. However, most of the teams that end up fulfilling that desire aren’t in Florida. Tabacco is an excellent party starter in settled sets, and can get to his spots with relative ease, even against longpoles. The Dolphins have to be ecstatic to get a guy like him this early in the class of ’28 recruiting process.

Formerly a Class of 2027 recruit at Brookfield (Conn.), Tabacco put together a standout spring after reclassing and joining a loaded Express North ’28 squad. His explosiveness is a hallmark of his game and sets the stage, with Tabacco often favoring a right-to-left rollback or split as a natural left-hander who can also make things happen with his right when needed. Tabacco has a downright nasty release and shoots the ball hard and accurately, doing an excellent job of mixing up his release points and placement. As talented as he is when dodging to score, Tabacco is also a gifted feeder who loves to involve his teammates after drawing slides, and he’s also known to be proficient when re-dodging, a byproduct of his high IQ. He showed a ton of flashes in his first year in one of the nation’s best leagues, and his best lacrosse is clearly ahead of him.