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Early 2025 College Lacrosse Thoughts

Looking through my notes from the 2024 season, we know what we know, and we have to wait and see about what we don’t. It’s better to stay silent when you don’t know the full story. Right now, we have no idea what 2025 will look like, but it promises to be the most unpredictable and fascinating season in lacrosse history.

January is a month dedicated to studying film from the 2024 NCAA tournament. I’ll start with the NCAA title game and watch the tournament games in reverse order. It’s a refresher course, all while understanding that last year was last year, and this year will be different. Every remix is unique.

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Winners of 44 lacrosse national titles, nine of the NCAA distinction, Johns Hopkins hasn’t appeared at Championship Weekend since 2015. Fans may be underestimating the talent drain at Homewood. Gone are Jacob Angelus, Garrett Degnon, Casey McDermott, Jonathan Peshko, Brendan Grimes, Brett Martin, Hunter Jaronski, Beau Szuluk, and Chayse Ierlan. “We Want More” scrimmages UMBC on January 25 at noon.

Navy also has holes to fill with Xavier Arline, Jackson Peters, Dane Swanson, Max Hewitt, Nick Licalzi, and Jackson Bonitz off to serve the nation. I think #66 Jack Norton bears watching as a top-five SSDM in the PLL draft.

How’s Loyola going to score goals without Adam Poitras, Davis Lindsey, Evan James, Joey Kamish, and Seth Higgins? Charley Toomey has to hang his hat on Matt Minicus (33,16) from 2023.

Towson is dangerous in 2025. This should be fun to watch.

Lehigh remains in the mix for Patriot League supremacy. Richard Checo and Luke McAuliffe are an excellent one-two defensive punch. Midfielder Dakota Eirman put it all together late in 2024. FOGO Sean Dow was 57%. Rutgers and Lehigh play a game in Pennsylvania on February 1.

St. Joe’s has to remake their offense after saying goodbye to Matt Bohmer, Levi Anderson, Carter Page, Colin Reich, and Toron Eccleston. Midfielder Jesse Jason and defender Levi Verch are two players coach Taylor Wray must maximize.

The Hoyas, usually strong in half-field defensive sets, will be vulnerable early in the season after shorties Will Godine, Jack Leary, and Dylan Hess exhausted their eligibility along with LSM Wallace Halpert and defender Wesley Chairs. Hess is playing college club for Florida and should resurface this summer in the PLL. Midfield defense is a question mark. The Big East feels wide open.

Kyle Lehman is the star of the future at Penn State. The Nittany Lions will miss TJ Malone for sure and have to find capable SSDMs. The close defense should be a team strength (Alex Ross & Will Costin) in front of goalie Jack Fracyon.

Of their top nine on defense in 2024, the Fighting Irish must replace goalie Liam Entenmann, half-shift LSM Ross Burgmaster (bagpiper), shorties Nick Harris and Carter Parlette, and close D-men Mario Napolitano and Chris Conlin. That’s significant. Don’t feel sorry for ND, because their midfield position group is once again deep with Jordan Faison, Devon McClane, Jalen Seymour, Will Angrick, Fisher Finley (6-6, 225), and Max Busenkell.

Two-sport lacrosse athletes Jordan Faison, Matt Jeffrey, and Tyler Buchner completed their football season on January 20 in the national title game. They will all get a few weeks of rest that includes wall ball, film study, and being a presence at practice. Faison will need rest and recovery time after taking four months of contact. Jeffrey has been scout team player of the week twice in January, and he could benefit from a slow ramp-up.

The hunt for a three-peat will be captivating. The Irish scrimmage Air Force on January 18 and Detroit on Sunday, January 26.

A 2024 Championship Weekend appearance by Denver in coach Matt Brown’s first year made sense, considering that DU didn’t lose a point from 2023. The Pios had 11 seniors and 7 grad students who played a ton in 2024. That changes in 2025. The entire close defense is gone, and so is FOGO Alex Stathakis. Their GAA may skyrocket. What’s the offense going to look like without JJ Sillstrop, Richie Connell, Michael Lampert, Stephen Avery, Ty Hussey, Josh Carlson, and Jack Tortolani? The Pios host Johns Hopkins on February 1 on the funky-designed field in a compelling opener at altitude.

It’s been well-documented that Virginia is going to look different without Connor Shellenberger, Payton Cormier, and Cole Kastner. The Cavs lose 54% of their scoring from 2024. Shellenberger was an elite processor, able to anticipate and problem-solve in real time. He seized big moments and played with hunger and determination. Don’t kid yourself—he’s irreplaceable. The Wahoos scrimmage Marquette and Navy in Annapolis on January 25.

Never discount Maryland lacrosse. The Terps have been to the Final Four ten times since 2011. Tell me something I don’t know.

Coach John Tillman may have to build slowly. FOGO Luke Weirman and defender Ajax Zappitello’s graduation will initially be evident. Don’t forget this team also sees the departure of Eric Malever, Daniel Maltz, Jack Koras, Ryan Siracusa, Jack Brennan, Owen Murphy, Colin Sharkey, and Nick Redd. Koras was a Swiss Army knife. That’s a lot of new faces playing signature roles. Regardless, Maryland, with a disciplined approach, sets the standard in the Big Ten. The Terps host Richmond on February 1.

Aidan Maguore and Jack Gray form the best one-two combo from the SSDM spot in the nation. Like Virginia, the Blue Devils may take on a more concerted defensive posture this spring. They lost massive amounts of firepower (78%)—the players who threw the ball into the net. The Blue Devils’ non-conference schedule in February includes Bellarmine, Jacksonville, St. Joe’s, Michigan, and Princeton.

North Carolina has a three-headed sophomore monster with superstar Owen Duffy, D-man Peter Thomann, and FOGO Brady Wambach. Since a 2021 Final Four appearance, Harvard captain and first-team All-Ivy shorty Andrew O’Berry joins the squad as a grad student. Carolina has gone 8-6, 7-7, and 7-7. I can see them winning ten games this year as the ACC, outside of SU and ND, is down. The rise or fall of UNC will be fascinating. The Tar Heels host Michigan on February 8 in a tone-setting game for 2025.

Inside Lacrosse is hyping Princeton, who must find some serviceable shorties and a goalie to complement their very potent young offense. The Tigers lose less than 10% of their points from 2024. I would expect high-scoring games in the Ivy League involving all teams not named Penn. The Tigers have ramped up their non-conference schedule and open at Penn State, facing Maryland, Duke, and UNC early.

Penn is an outlier in the Ivy because they can defend with lefty Ethan Till, rock-solid V-holder Brendan Lavelle, and large goalie Emmet Carroll. The Quakers have beaten more non-Ivy heavyweights than Princeton. They take on Georgetown on February 15.

Yale has been awful at scooping up defensive ground balls and often falls during coverage or makes boneheaded slide decisions. Defense was ranked #55 in 2024. Coach Andy Shay will miss Matt Brandau and Patrick Hackler. Scorers Leo Johnson and Chris Lyons have a supporting cast to propel the Bulldogs into the high teens on a weekly basis, which should be fan-friendly.

Cornell is a sexy preseason pick based on the return of playmakers CJ Kirst, Ryan Goldstein, Willem Firth, and Michael Long. Goaltending, face-offs, and SSDM, until seen in 2025, don’t warrant supreme confidence. Regardless, this trio on attack will produce incredibly skilled highlights.

Syracuse is loaded. Joey Spallina is my lacrosse preseason Tewaaraton favorite. Why? He’s going to average six points for a team that’s going to be ranked 1-2-3 for most of the season. But his lack of production against premier athletic defenders will be an ongoing storyline. See the Denver quarterfinal loss for an example. Devoid of separation quickness, initiating becomes a liability against Virginia, Army, Duke, Notre Dame, Denver, Penn, and Johns Hopkins—teams that have future Premier Lacrosse League cover men. So SU must utilize a team offensive scheme and let Spallina’s pro-level IQ, skills, and vision work off-ball. Their EMO will be a show in itself.

Owen Hiltz has reshaped his body, and I’ve received reports that his play has soared. Add Finn Thomson, Michael Leo, Luke Rhoa, Trey Deere, and Jackson Birtwistle to a spicy offensive mix. Questions at Cuse include goaltending, FOGO depth, and SSDM performance. The Orange have been stuck on 11 national titles since 2009 and haven’t been to Championship Weekend since 2013.

Harvard has a boatload of holdovers from a playoff appearance in 2022. Sam King, Owen Gaffney, Miles Botkiss, Andrew Perry, Lucas Hilsenrath, Ray Dearth, and Thomas Martinson all played as freshmen that spring. Gaffney, Perry, and Martinson have been slowed by injuries.

Next week we shine a light on new faces.

Quint Kessenich covers lacrosse for the ESPN family of networks and can be followed @QKessenich on X.