Transfer Portal

[Can Opener]

I wonder if BJ Burlace was looking for the fifth year which he wouldn’t get at an Ivy like Yale.

Probably is just looking for playing time. Not sure he stepped on the field this year.

Yet, worthy of an entire year at the expense of a high school kid if he stays for a fifth year... yea, that's reasonable.

That statement seems a little unnecessarily bitter. NCAA athletes get 5 years to play 4, so if he didn't play this year he'd get full eligibility anyways. Plus, the virus isn't really fair to anyone or anything. If kids want to play more lacrosse, have fun. If your kid loses playing time to BJ Burlace, then your kid is free to find a spot on another team too.

BItter? Absolutely. But if the idea is to "give" back a year of eligibility because of what a player lost THIS year, the idea that a player could be a bench player and then get an entire year back flies in the face of that logic, no? So, he can get 5 years now, while there is a high school kid out there who will now not get on a roster somewhere, someplace, down the line - it's not going to be wherever Burlace ends up - but where he ends up, will force another kid to another school, and another school, and another school and, yes, it's simply a number games - eventually there will be a kid who would have played at school "X", who will now not play in college who would have. And this is likely not just Burlace, there will be hundreds of kids like this, many of whom missed 2/3'ds of spring ball while not playing. So, yea, i"m bitter because i don't think this was fair at all and severely and negatively impacted a bunch of kids - high school kids - who were also impacted by this virus and now will be impacted even more severely.

The kids and parents should have learned during high level club lacrosse that there's no guarantee of playing time. And D1 is 10x more competitive and physically demanding than club. Simple, brutal math. If hs seniors place that much importance on getting the best chance of D1 playing time, they have options like PG and/or redshirting and/or transferring. If they are good enough, they can play somewhere.

Totally agree. There are 74 D1 programs. At an average of 45 players each, there are around 3,300 D1 men's lacrosse players in any given year. Let's assume that an average of 4 players per team (296 total) take an extra year that they otherwise would not have. BTW, you can't do this at Ivies and service academies. And are 4 players going to convince their parents to pay for an extra year at Bellarmine, Siena, Cleveland State, NJIT, Wagner, Detroit Mercy? Even so, let's assume that the "normal" number of slots drops from 3,300 to 3,000. Sorry to be harsh, but if a player isn't one of the top 3,000 players in the country, they should probably be looking at other options. Could it impact a HS player who has his heart set on a particular top 20 school? Yes. 2-4 bubble kids per year may be impacted. Yeah, that kinda stinks, but was recruit #14 at Maryland going to see much time? Probably not, so I'm just not seeing much long term impact and even less harm. Related question: when was the last time you spoke to a D3 athlete at a top 20 D3 school who said: "I really messed up by not going D1. My experience has been a real disappointment."

[laxfan22]

I wonder if BJ Burlace was looking for the fifth year which he wouldn’t get at an Ivy like Yale.

Probably is just looking for playing time. Not sure he stepped on the field this year.

Yet, worthy of an entire year at the expense of a high school kid if he stays for a fifth year... yea, that's reasonable.

That statement seems a little unnecessarily bitter. NCAA athletes get 5 years to play 4, so if he didn't play this year he'd get full eligibility anyways. Plus, the virus isn't really fair to anyone or anything. If kids want to play more lacrosse, have fun. If your kid loses playing time to BJ Burlace, then your kid is free to find a spot on another team too.

BItter? Absolutely. But if the idea is to "give" back a year of eligibility because of what a player lost THIS year, the idea that a player could be a bench player and then get an entire year back flies in the face of that logic, no? So, he can get 5 years now, while there is a high school kid out there who will now not get on a roster somewhere, someplace, down the line - it's not going to be wherever Burlace ends up - but where he ends up, will force another kid to another school, and another school, and another school and, yes, it's simply a number games - eventually there will be a kid who would have played at school "X", who will now not play in college who would have. And this is likely not just Burlace, there will be hundreds of kids like this, many of whom missed 2/3'ds of spring ball while not playing. So, yea, i"m bitter because i don't think this was fair at all and severely and negatively impacted a bunch of kids - high school kids - who were also impacted by this virus and now will be impacted even more severely.

The kids and parents should have learned during high level club lacrosse that there's no guarantee of playing time. And D1 is 10x more competitive and physically demanding than club. Simple, brutal math. If hs seniors place that much importance on getting the best chance of D1 playing time, they have options like PG and/or redshirting and/or transferring. If they are good enough, they can play somewhere.

Totally agree. There are 74 D1 programs. At an average of 45 players each, there are around 3,300 D1 men's lacrosse players in any given year. Let's assume that an average of 4 players per team (296 total) take an extra year that they otherwise would not have. BTW, you can't do this at Ivies and service academies. And are 4 players going to convince their parents to pay for an extra year at Bellarmine, Siena, Cleveland State, NJIT, Wagner, Detroit Mercy? Even so, let's assume that the "normal" number of slots drops from 3,300 to 3,000. Sorry to be harsh, but if a player isn't one of the top 3,000 players in the country, they should probably be looking at other options. Could it impact a HS player who has his heart set on a particular top 20 school? Yes. 2-4 bubble kids per year may be impacted. Yeah, that kinda stinks, but was recruit #14 at Maryland going to see much time? Probably not, so I'm just not seeing much long term impact and even less harm. Related question: when was the last time you spoke to a D3 athlete at a top 20 D3 school who said: "I really messed up by not going D1. My experience has been a real disappointment."

300 spots is still 300 D1 spots. And, those kids going somewhere - whether it's low D1 or (often the case) D3, means that kids that would have been slotted in those spots now don't have the spot that they would have had. It's not difficult math.

[laxfan22]

btw, the idea that "if your kid isn't one of the top 3300 in the country" they should look elsewhere is asinine - why can't we say that about any arbitrary number - sorry, if your kid isn't a top 500 player, he should go elsewhere? 1000? I didn't realize that college lacrosse opportunities were only for the top X number of kids. F it. Let's just disband D2 and D3 altogether. Or all D1 outside of the top 20. If you aren't good enough to play at Maryland, sucks for you.

[njfanlax]

I think the bitterness lies in the fact that many (if not most) HS students are using sports to try to get themselves accepted into a more selective college. Selecting a college isn't just about sports, it's about getting a good education. It's about positioning oneself to be able to have more opportunities in the job market or to be able to attend a very competitive graduate school once the undergraduate experience is over. It's also about making friends who could also be good contacts one day for the future. The effect on one's sports future is probably less important. Yes, you can probably find another program to play for if you aren't picky about the school. But who thinks that way, since there are so few players who can make a comfortable living by playing lacrosse? The NCAA decision, which effectively and arbitrarily restricts the number of roster spots for HS 2022s and HS 2023s, potentially decreases ALL of those opportunities for those kids. It's an unknowable situation trying to assess how changing from college A to college B affects the trajectory of one's life. The effect on each person is probably very unique, and the range of possibilities is vast from an insignificant effect to a life-changing effect on one's life. It's that potential harm which causes the most worry for the parents of these kids.

When you compare HS players' current situation to the college players who lost 2/3 of their sports season this year, the college players' loss this season, at least to the HS crowd, seems almost trivial.

[Justafan]

All of this back and forth about who has it the toughest, or who got screwed the most, HS kids or college kids really doesn't matter. Someone else said it, but HS and college kids alike have an unfortunate situation that they have to navigate around just like everyone out there in the world. This is part of the problem I have seen in Lacrosse. If the kid wants to get a scholarship, get more playing time in college, get better. be better than the next guy or girl. thats life. No one was promised anything and no one is entitled to anything.

There are those handful of kids that got alot more playing time in high school than they probably should have gotten, or people telling them how great they were for many different reasons. Then they get to college, and the coach there only cares about winning and losing and for the most part, the best kid played. If you were protected in HS because of relationships with coach, boosters, and so forth, that is gone now and they are suddenly shocked and don't understand why they aren't playing. Mind you I am not saying this is alot of kids, just a handful, but they are out there. Or other kids were unknown players because they didn't come from high profile club teams, High school teams, didn't come from the lacrosse community and so forth, get on campus and is better than the high profile kid. There are many situations. Bottom line like above. Worker harder, no one cares!!!!!!

[keno in reno]

Nobody is 'slotted' for anything. They all have opportunities, that's it.

Speaking of slotting, many if not most of these athletes are taking an enrollment opportunity away from a much higher qualified non-athlete at these prestigious universities. There are a lot of kids with 1500+ SAT's and 4.7 GPA's who can't get into UVA, Harvard, Yale, Duke, Hopkins or all the other great lacrosse schools. Many of these guys who are victims of a transfer in already took the seat of a more deserving student in the classroom.

In the larger picture, hopefully all the D1 opportunities available today are still there in 2 years. If football or basketball revenue decline next year, it will be a bloodbath for nonrev sports.

[stupefied]

UVA has an opening at attack

[AreaLax]

UVA has an opening at attack

Do they? Would think Shellenberger would fill that opening

[dek]

I wonder if BJ Burlace was looking for the fifth year which he wouldn’t get at an Ivy like Yale.

Probably is just looking for playing time. Not sure he stepped on the field this year.

Maybe just looking for a better fit. Yale’s a great school but isn’t right for everyone. It happens everywhere sometimes.

[Typical Lax Dad]

UVA has an opening at attack

Do they? Would think Shellenberger would fill that opening

Is it possible that he plays midfield and Cormier gets bumped down to attack?

[AreaLax]

TX twitter
.@LafayetteMLAX freshman defenseman Beaudan Szuluk has entered the NCAA's transfer portal, according to a source. Named a 4-star recruit out of Avon Old Farms (Conn.), he started all six games for the Leopards, racking up 11 GB's and six CT's as a rookie.

[thetruth]

I wonder if BJ Burlace was looking for the fifth year which he wouldn’t get at an Ivy like Yale.

Probably is just looking for playing time. Not sure he stepped on the field this year.

Maybe just looking for a better fit. Yale’s a great school but isn’t right for everyone. It happens everywhere sometimes.

Agree. Although given the time, physical and mental commitment to college lacrosse at a top D1 program like Yale, it's hard for any of these kids not to define "fit" and "happiness" at a particular institution with their college lacrosse experience. I think that's unfortunate, but understandable.

[JBFortunato]

TX twitter
.@LafayetteMLAX freshman defenseman Beaudan Szuluk has entered the NCAA's transfer portal, according to a source. Named a 4-star recruit out of Avon Old Farms (Conn.), he started all six games for the Leopards, racking up 11 GB's and six CT's as a rookie.

I saw this kid play a few times in high school, he's a beast. He will make an impact wherever he goes.

Completely a guess, wouldn't be surprised if he ends up at Yale.

[smoova]

I think the bitterness lies in the fact that many (if not most) HS students are using sports to try to get themselves accepted into a more selective college. Selecting a college isn't just about sports, it's about getting a good education. It's about positioning oneself to be able to have more opportunities in the job market or to be able to attend a very competitive graduate school once the undergraduate experience is over. It's also about making friends who could also be good contacts one day for the future. The effect on one's sports future is probably less important. Yes, you can probably find another program to play for if you aren't picky about the school. But who thinks that way, since there are so few players who can make a comfortable living by playing lacrosse? The NCAA decision, which effectively and arbitrarily restricts the number of roster spots for HS 2022s and HS 2023s, potentially decreases ALL of those opportunities for those kids. It's an unknowable situation trying to assess how changing from college A to college B affects the trajectory of one's life. The effect on each person is probably very unique, and the range of possibilities is vast from an insignificant effect to a life-changing effect on one's life. It's that potential harm which causes the most worry for the parents of these kids.

This gentleman understands.

[laxknight]

Connor McCarthy, Sr. M from Princeton, entered the Transfer Portal today per an Inside Lacrosse article. Talented player. Has anyone seen a full list of players that have entered the portal anywhere? It would be interesting to see all the players in one compiled list in order to predict which schools will land them.

[HopFan16]

Here is what's been reported in IL and College Crosse so far. Not an exhaustive list, just what has been made public:

Princeton - Connor McCarthy (midfield)
Syracuse - Jared Fernandez (LSM)
Penn - Kyle Gallagher (FOGO), Kyle Thornton (defense)
Hopkins - Jack Rapine (defense), Matt Hubler (midfield)
Notre Dame - Charles Leonard (FOGO)
Yale - BJ Burlace (defense)
Ohio State - Josh Kirson (goalie), Christian Tomei (goalie)
Maryland - Drew Morris (goalie)
Utah - Mac Costin (midfield)
Lafayette - Beaudan Szuluk (defense)
St. Joseph's - Mike Adler (goalie)
Albany - Davis Diamond (attack/midfield)
Holy Cross - Justin Lynskey (attack), Kevin Kodzis (attack), Sean Mullaney (midfield)
Bucknell - Will Yorke (attack), Connor Shears (defense), Hunter Newman (LSM), Grayson Burns (attack), Matt Fedorjaka (midfield)
Hofstra - Whit Stopak (attack), Ryan Kinnard (midfield)
Robert Morris - Austin Popovich (midfield)
Bellarmine - Morgan Macko (attack)
Hobart - Sam Lucchesi (goalie), PJ Delpha (defense), Eric Holden (attack)
Merrimack - Davis Cronin (FOGO)
Providence - Sean Lahey (attack)
Colgate - Griffin Brown (attack/midfield), Nicky Petkevich (attack), Parker Baddley (LSM), John Donahue (defense), Cooper Belanger (midfield), Jesse Rosenblatt (attack)

Big names: McCarthy, Gallagher, Leonard, Burlace, Kirson, Adler, Yorke, Holden, Brown, etc. Some good attackmen and goalies especially and two very good FOGOs who could make a huge difference for a team in need.

[njfanlax]

Just wondering what schools the athletes who entered the transfer portal are looking at. I would assume the list is relatively small and would primarily comprise schools from the ACC (5), Big East (6), Big 10 (6), Patriot (3), and America East (1). Am I missing any others?

[Laxman23]

The most impactful transfer to date has been to IVY being TD to Yale from Albany. Of the list of transfer candidates available how many are seniors as they cannot transfer to the Ivy. But I would not be surprised to see a few significant underclassmen transfer in. I would also be really curious in a total number of transfer numbers available per year. Believe there will be a significant spike this year. Anyone know transfer numbers per year?

[dek]

Just wondering what schools the athletes who entered the transfer portal are looking at. I would assume the list is relatively small and would primarily comprise schools from the ACC (5), Big East (6), Big 10 (6), Patriot (3), and America East (1). Am I missing any others?

Thought I saw the Holy Cross FOGO (O’Connell) Is headed to Duke for his 5th year. Can’t find the source now though. He’s not on Hopfan’s list above. Likely an impact player.

[Laxman23]

Or, how many entered transfer portal vs how many wound up transferring. I know or heard this is not posted but somehow word trickles out and the real numbers would be interesting if anyone has access to them.