When your highlight tape is so stacked that you need two parts to explain one summer, you might be a high-value recruit. Touch passes, one-on-one goals, cross-cage lever looks – Watson’s highlight reel is, indeed, extensive. For Milton Academy, he is an exceptional matchup threat that gets deployed in multiple spots in settled sets. The fact that Hobart is the program that eventually landed Watson’s commitment is intriguing to me. I think most people projected him as a NESCAC player, but the D-1 option always seemed to loom in the background, as it does with most exceptional ISL players.

Dylan Watson Dylan Watson 5'10" | M/A | Left Hand Milton Academy | 2028 MA was one of the best offensive players at The Show last weekend. A sophomore at Milton Academy, he played midfield and saw many short-stick matchups. He finished with 10 goals and five assists in 13 games, with most of his production coming off the ball and out of invert situations. Off the ball, he has a strong feel for how to set himself up for quality shots and the hands to catch everything thrown his way. Around the cage, he knows how to open his hips and get into positions where it is tough for defenders to get a stick on him. Behind the cage, he plays tight well as a swing man and understands the cat-and-mouse game, setting himself up for both front-side and back-side sneaks.

With the ball is where he really showed off at The Show. He had the speed to get a step easily and the physicality to lean in when he needed to. He was especially good behind the cage, mixing in split and roll dodges to get up the hashes while showing the ability to score with both hands. Watson is a player who is under the radar right now, but after seeing him at The Show, I do not expect that to last.