First 48 Hours: Reacting to New England's Wave of '28 Commits

The first few days of the commitment cycle for the class of '28 have been slower than usual. Perhaps that is partly because the cycle shifted from September 1st to September 9th, but the result is that college coaches have had only a few weekdays to make their overtures. Last year's window was also a little slow to start, but turned into an absolute wrecking ball in the second and third weeks of the month.   Here are some thoughts on the earliest Division I commits from New England so far:    A strong lefty longpole with a penchant for closing down efficient scorers, Hapgood brings consistency to the woods of Dartmouth. He excels at scooping up key groundballs in traffic and turning them into instant offense. His approaches are sound and methodical, whether they take place on the wings, on the run, or behind the cage. He's excellent in the two-man game, switching when he needs to and able to fight through picks of all shapes and sizes. Another two years of development in the Blue Wave system and he will be tailor-made for an Ivy League backline.     Win an MIAA championship as a sophomore pole that very few players even dared to dodge, and you get a bit of a reputation for being one of the best defensemen in the region. Sometimes reputations are accurate. In Hayden's case, his was also bolstered by a lights-out summer campaign for 3d New England. UNC is traditionally very active on the first day of the window, and this commitment continues that trend. Hayden is the prototypical ACC defender - strong, quick, and mean. Another lefty, he's a perfect fit for the continually improving Tar Heel defense.     An aggressive speedster, Augustine has the No. 1 skill set that every college coach wants out of an offensive prospect: he can create his own shot. Track-star speed is, of course, a big part of that ability, but the unteachable triumvirate of speed, smarts, and skill remains undefeated in all aspects of player evaluation. The way that Augustine can just drop his shoulder and fire off a shot is just as impressive as his foot speed. The scariest part is that he's still growing into his frame, which means he is only going to get faster in the next two seasons.     White casts an imposing six-foot-plus shadow in net, but his greatest asset is his patience. He's great at reading the shooter and reacting commensurate with the velocity and placement of the shot. However, White is not just an accomplished midrange stopper; he can get down on close shots, mirror stick, and stay in the pocket no matter how close the shooter is to the crease. He had an excellent summer for SweetLax, backstopping its Florida and Navy teams. White is a great pickup for Michigan this early in the window, especially since goalies tend to come off the board in droves.     The first Lakes Region player off the board, Smith is a wholly opportunistic scorer who exploits the smaller windows afforded by the defense to get his goals. A reclass from Vermont, Smith's box experience with the Midnight Riders squad really shows on film. He is great at back-cutting his defender to get to the goal, even with a sliver of room at goal line extended. Smith is also tenacious on the ride, often turning mistakes into goals just with pure hustle. Honestly, Smith is just a straight-up worker who knows how to get to the goalmouth and make things happen. I think Jacksonville saw his finishing and motor and wasted zero time getting him to be the Dolphins' first commit in their ‘28 class.

The first few days of the commitment cycle for the class of '28 have been slower than usual. Perhaps that is partly because the cycle shifted from September 1st to September 9th, but the result is that college coaches have had only a few weekdays to make their overtures. Last year's window was also a little slow to start, but turned into an absolute wrecking ball in the second and third weeks of the month.