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It wasn’t much of a surprise to anyone who’d paid attention to the class of 2027 for the past few years.
The West Coast Starz took home the class of 2027 NLF National Championship this July at Stony Brook. The Starz also took home the ’26 title for good measure, sweeping the recruiting ages. The West’s leader in recruiting has always been in contention for titles, but this marked the first time they’d broken through to win the title since its 2019 group did it at Lehigh in their final summer together. That group included future Georgetown All-American Graham Bundy and former Denver standout JJ Sillstrop, among others.
If anyone was surprised by the Starz’ run to the title, though, it wasn’t anyone within the organization.
“Being a part of such a loaded West Coast Starz team is awesome,” five-star attackman Tripp King (Loyola, Calif.) said. “We knew we were the best and we showed it at NLF. Looking back on our younger years with WCS, we knew that were special from the beginning. Even though we come from so many different areas, we all could relate in some way. For some, it was the Friday night flights to make early Saturday games. For others, it was going on those trips with teammates because our parents couldn’t make it. But those moments made us so close that our chemistry built up like no other team. Seeing so many commit to amazing schools is also so cool.”
West Coast Starz Commits Roll In
Yep, as it turns out, winning the best event in the country is usually a good indicator that you’ve got some pretty good talent. The Starz boast 17 Division I commitments in the class of 2027 as the first month of recruiting for the junior class comes to a close. CLICK HERE for a full breakdown of all NLF class of 2027 commitments. King, the NLF’s No. 22 junior, is a part of North Carolina‘s class that is tops in the country. No. 32 Tate Starr (Lawrenceville, N.J.) will join him in the ACC as Virginia‘s top-rated offensive commit.
No. 6 overall prospect and No. 2 goalie Teddy Oh (Taft, Conn. / Harvard) leads a trio of Ivy League commits. He’s joined by the Dartmouth attackman tandem of Harrison Jacobsen (Torrey Pines, Calif.) and Max Wong (Sacred Heart Prep, Calif.). Oh was the first goalie to commit in the class, committing to the Crimson’s admissions process almost immediately. For him, that commitment, plus his teammates’ commitments, has been, “surreal.”
“I’ve been playing with some of these guys for eight or nine years,” Oh said. “Growing up and seeing all of the older guys committing, and finally getting through the recruiting summer, it’s been surreal to see all of our dreams coming true. I knew our team was pretty talented, but seeing everyone commit so quickly and to such great schools has been pretty surreal and an awesome thing.”
Finding The Right Fit Across the Nation
Michigan also snagged a pair of talented prospects in No. 48 Stockton Steward, an attackman from The Woodlands (Texas), and SSDM Charlie Anderson (Redwood, Calif.). Steward was one of the biggest risers across the nation this summer, capped with a tournament MVP nod at Stony Brook.
Five Starz will play in the Big East, led by a pair of Georgetown commits. No. 83 Charlie Giraudo (Marin Catholic, Calif.) and Dean Dulin (Highland Park, Texas) verballed to the Hoyas. They’ll compete against midfielder Jonah Bell (La Costa Canyon, Calif. / Denver), defenseman Tucker King (St. Ignatius, Calif. / Villanova) and attackman Rome Swanick (Judge, Utah / Providence) in college.
The Patriot League will welcome three Starz. No. 77 prospect Max Pasquale (Culver, Ind. / Boston University) is the headliner. Midfielder David Sala (Sacred Heart Prep, Calif. / Bucknell) and faceoff midfielder Trystean Warburton (Episcopal of Dallas, Texas) round out the group.
Reigning Atlantic 10 champion Richmond bagged a pair of defensemen in the form of Casey McDougall (St. Ignatius, Calif.) and Stark Gordon (Taft, Conn.).
Trust The Process
“Our guys had a really impressive summer and I was so happy to see them win their last tournament, especially with it being the NLF,” Zissi said. “We told them to celebrate everyone’s success because the stronger the unit, the better off you all will be. The guys were playing for each other instead of just trying to get recruited. As a result, they all played better and guys ended up getting recruited, so it’s the best of both worlds. We’re really proud of our 2027s that have already found their dream school and we have a bunch more players who will also make an impact at the next level when they find their right fit.”
Steward played a big role for The Woodlands, one of Texas’ top teams, this spring. He really hit his peak this summer, though, emerging as one of the top two-handed attackmen in the class. Steward’s versatility proved to be a major mismatch against defenses, one that the Starz feasted on.
“Coach Jono and (WCS 2027 head coach) Coach Dave O’Neil put me in a great spot to facilitate the offense, playing behind the cage and playing middie,” Steward said. “They were switching it up every game and putting me in a good spot. Having a great team around me helped so much, too.”
“Coach Jono really helped me a lot throughout the process,” Steward said. “He helped me get a gameplan and narrow things down to a few schools. He was super helpful in giving me insight on different teams from past West Coast Starz players who have gone to those schools.”
It doesn’t look like The Process is slowing down anytime soon. The Starz’ ’27 team also included a pair of top-flight 2028s in attackmen Sawyer Bligh (Brunswick, Conn.), a California native, and OJ Ika (Loomis Chaffee, Conn.), a Utah native. There will undoubtedly be another long line of other Starz that join those two in the committed ranks next fall.
Best in the West for a reason.