Southern Firepower: 2028 Attackmen to Watch

The South has no shortage of offensive talent. When it comes to Southern attackmen, [player_tooltip player_id='165851' first='Wayte' last='McKnight'], [player_tooltip player_id='141919' first='Cole' last='Sovie'], and [player_tooltip player_id='168675' first='Morgan' last='Olivier'] are among the first names that come to mind.   <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2026/08/midfield-heat-the-souths-2028-class/">After covering five Southern midfielders yesterday</a>, it is time to shift the spotlight to six Southern attackmen.    There is a certain type of offensive player who looks so light on his feet that he seems to float. Smith is one of those attackmen. He may not dazzle with pure athleticism, but his confidence and skill radiate in his game. Ty Xanders and I watched him at IMLCA in the winter, where he impressed us with his goal-scoring ability. That production has continued throughout the summer. The volume of points he puts up forces you to pay attention.   As a lefty, Smith is excellent off the ball, but he does much of his damage from that wing, either as a stepdown shooter or by sweeping to the middle for an on-the-run finish. He is not a range shooter, but he loves using an underhand or sidearm release. Both carry a subtle deception, especially when paired with his use of head and eye fakes, and he can place the ball wherever he wants. In tight, he is lights out. He catches everything, and his deception consistently creates access to the open parts of the net. One area of his game that stood out more this summer than it did in the fall was his riding ability. He consistently puts himself in the right spots to double ball carriers, force turnovers, and jump-start transition, where he makes smart decisions.     Eriksen became easy to recognize this summer between his two black knee sleeves and speedy left-handed dodging. His game is built around his quickness, and for good reason—he is consistently one of the fastest players on the field. I love how he sets up his wing and low-wing dodges by luring defenders in tight before bursting past them. He has scored a ton of goals by sweeping to the middle of the field. His right hand is not lacking, either. If defenders play his topside too strongly, he is not afraid to split right and get down the alley. Another part of Eriksen's game that stands out is his stepdown shot. He loves to let it go with an underhand release that seems to teleport to the top shelf before goalies can react.   The one area where I would like to see Eriksen improve is with his use of change of speed. Because he is so quick, his shooting angle fades quickly when he dodges. If he can add more hesitations—like the ones he has shown down the alley in the middle of the field—he will score at will.     Rowen Hild put up an eye-popping 111 goals and 40 assists across Page's 26-game schedule this spring. He is a two-handed X attackman who plays with plenty of burst and change of direction. What he does behind the cage consistently gets his hands free when he crosses GLE. He knows how to set up his dodges and change his angles on defenders, forcing them to overplay one hand before he gets an instant step. He is also excellent at creating advantages when his team sends picks behind the cage, as comfortable rejecting a pick as he is using one. If he does not gain a step off his initial moves, he has the rockers, jukes, and fakes to rely on. Hild scores the bulk of his goals with finishes in tight spaces, but he also has a solid shot with his feet set. His quickness shows up in the riding game, too, where he caused a ton of turnovers in the spring.     Hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, Staples has put together a solid summer. He has good size and will not necessarily torch defenders with pure speed, but he is incredibly smooth and confident, and he is comfortable finishing through contact. He is most comfortable squaring up his defender from the righty wing, but he can initiate from behind the cage as well. He makes quick moves, gets to dangerous spots, and keeps his head up to find open teammates when slides come. Off the ball, he consistently finds the back pipe for easy finishes. In the riding game, Staples feasts. His high IQ puts him in the right spots, his hustle shows up throughout the field, and his motor extends his range.     I liked George's impact for the Thunder at the IMLCA Players Summit. He is a finishing attackman who can also play out of the box. He scores many of his goals through his off-ball movement. Inside, George finds soft spots well, cutting to the ball and working as a mirror. His ability to finish with either hand opens up even more opportunities. From the outside, he moves well into skip lanes for stepdowns and does a good job changing the tempo of his release. He can use a big windup to put more on the ball or go to a quicker release to keep goalies off balance. I also love his ability to hitch and reset his feet, which makes him difficult for both goalies and defenders to handle.     I've seen Sheridan at a couple of events this summer, and he always seems to do at least one thing in each game that gets noticed. He is a smaller, quicker attackman who loves to carry behind the cage, plant his foot, and get up the hashes for quality shots or easy feeds. He reads slides well, and his quickness helps him gain a step. He is also comfortable working through contact to earn goals. From the righty wing, Sheridan loves to sweep to the middle and has the hitches to get defenders to bite. Early in the summer at The Show, I saw the dawg in him—the willingness to do the dirty work and ride hard for extra possessions.

The South has no shortage of offensive talent. When it comes to Southern attackmen, Wayte McKnight Wayte McKnight 5'11" | 160 lbs | A/M | Right Hand Episcopal School of Dallas | 2028 TX , Cole Sovie Cole Sovie 6'2" | 170 lbs | A/M | Left Hand IMG Academy | 2028 FL , and Morgan Olivier Morgan Olivier 6'3" | 185 lbs | A/M | Left Hand Lovett | 2028 GA are among the first names that come to mind.