The Year of the Mercenary - 2021

[Henpecked]

This upcoming season, should it happen, is going to be interesting in so many ways. There is a wave of unbelievably talented Ivy and Patriot League refugees transferring that will decide the fate of many traditional D1 powerhouses. In recent years many of these schools were vulnerable to the occasional upset that led folks on this forum to chat about the inevitable parity coming to D1.

If I had to guess, that talk will come to an end, at least for the 2021 season. I believe next year will be a year of dominance for several programs with and influx of transfers looking to win a National Championship.

The story of 2020 should have been about IVY dominance and the rise of Princeton. The senior talent in the Ivy League this year was off the charts.

Cornell with Jeff Teat, Conner Fletcher, Brandon Salvadore, Cooper Telesco had the opportunity to avenge all of the ghosts of Cornell past including the ill-advised clear of 2009 in the finals versus Syracuse. Michael Sowers quietly racking up insane numbers year after year, while never making it out of Ivy League tournament, finally getting the supporting cast necessary to take him and his fellow Tigers to the promised land. What will be left of this Tiger uprising without Sowers and fellow seniors Connor McCarthy and Philip Robertson? What is left at Yale without scoring machine Matt Guadet, quarterback Jackson Morrill, Lucas Cotler and All-Universe FOGO TD Ierlan? And Penn came so close in 2019, losing by one goal to Yale in the finals, and finally were getting healthy in 2020 - gone are Adam Goldner, a ton of defense and Kyle Gallagher at FOGO. Those 4 teams really had a chance to make some noise this year in the NCAAs. But now all of these talented players are going to have to win it for another squad if they are hoping to continue their Final Four dreams.

Which brings me to 2021 - The Year of the Mercenaries. You would have to guess that some of the already established programs with great graduate programs (Duke, UNC, Virginia, Notre Dame and Michigan) will take in the greatest share of these Patriot and Ivy League refugees. It will be unbelievably interesting to see how these one-year rentals will shape the final landscape. If I had to guess Duke, UNC and Virginia will be the landing place for a lot of these guys. I would also think that Hopkins will be one of the most intriguing programs to keep an eye on. If Milliman can convince Jackson Morrill to extend his family legacy into a third generation at Hopkins AND recruit his former star Jeff Teat to join them in Baltimore, I am not sure there would be a better attack unit in D1 lacrosse when they hook up with Epstein (Unfortunately does not solve for the problems on the defensive side of the field.)

I feel bad for the Ivy league because of this "Lost Season." But as they say, one man's misery...

I can say for sure that there will be a handful of LeBron-Wade-Bosh Miami Heat look-alike teams out there that will be really easy to root against.

[10stone5]

Penn State lost out on several fronts,
looking just at 2021.

They lost Ament, he decided against a 6th year.
They lost out on Brennan O'Neill when he switched commits to Duke.
They lost out on a potential top transfer when Michael Sowers decided on Duke, though I don’t know that State was ever really a serious consideration.

So, Penn State could sure use a mercenary, assuming they want to continue to capitalize on their first ever Final Four.

Davis Diamond showed he could distribute the ball, he filled in admirably when Connor Fields was injured a couple years back.

Or, they could just go the full on attack route, and bring in Will Yorke, a different scheme, but still heavy emphasis on many shots.

[wgdsr]

are there that many real difference makers out there yet?
teat would be a catch. it looks like seniors @ cornell will have an option, but they'll need to decide soon or already and supposedly drop a class to come back next spring. sowers of course was big.

fogo and goalie would seem to be where a team with a need could get something proven and will probably lead the market.

at other positions brown was a good pickup for umd, not like they need it. yorke is out there and would be. lots of guys i don't know in the portal and am assuming it will grow larger. not being able to utilize extra $$ for a 5th year transfer (unless the school adds on, which many won't) should dampen the action. so should already bloated rosters if even several seniors come back.

[Typical Lax Dad]

are there that many real difference makers out there yet?
teat would be a catch. it looks like seniors @ cornell will have an option, but they'll need to decide soon or already and supposedly drop a class to come back next spring. sowers of course was big.

fogo and goalie would seem to be where a team with a need could get something proven and will probably lead the market.

at other positions brown was a good pickup for umd, not like they need it. yorke is out there and would be. lots of guys i don't know in the portal and am assuming it will grow larger. not being able to utilize extra $$ for a 5th year transfer (unless the school adds on, which many won't) should dampen the action. so should already bloated rosters if even several seniors come back.

Kyle Gallagher pick a school yet? Rumor was Michigan.

[Comeonman]

The rich will get richer in 21. Not only with free agents from the Ivies and elsewhere, but with returning seniors especially. This leads to better culture and chemistry. Look at Cuse in this regard. They have to be preseason #1, followed by Duke with Sowers (but they probably need to pick up either Adler or Kirson in the net to complete the package). As it looks now, Maryland, UNC, UVA, PSU and OSU all look to be strong with either a lot of seniors returning or as a destination for transfers (ie G Brown at UMD). Or both. Don’t sleep on Georgetown if they can land Morrill or Villanova if Kirst returns. ND will always compete. Yale, Princeton, Cornell and Penn should all fall out of the top 10 if the latter two go the way of the former two.

[wgdsr]

are there that many real difference makers out there yet?
teat would be a catch. it looks like seniors @ cornell will have an option, but they'll need to decide soon or already and supposedly drop a class to come back next spring. sowers of course was big.

fogo and goalie would seem to be where a team with a need could get something proven and will probably lead the market.

at other positions brown was a good pickup for umd, not like they need it. yorke is out there and would be. lots of guys i don't know in the portal and am assuming it will grow larger. not being able to utilize extra $$ for a 5th year transfer (unless the school adds on, which many won't) should dampen the action. so should already bloated rosters if even several seniors come back.

Kyle Gallagher pick a school yet? Rumor was Michigan.

would guess there would be word already. who might be a title contender in the running? duke again (he is from st anthony's)? unc possibly? michigan has a really good recruiter if they get him for a one year rental.

[stupefied]

This upcoming season, should it happen, is going to be interesting in so many ways. There is a wave of unbelievably talented Ivy and Patriot League refugees transferring that will decide the fate of many traditional D1 powerhouses. In recent years many of these schools were vulnerable to the occasional upset that led folks on this forum to chat about the inevitable parity coming to D1.

If I had to guess, that talk will come to an end, at least for the 2021 season. I believe next year will be a year of dominance for several programs with and influx of transfers looking to win a National Championship.

The story of 2020 should have been about IVY dominance and the rise of Princeton. The senior talent in the Ivy League this year was off the charts.

Cornell with Jeff Teat, Conner Fletcher, Brandon Salvadore, Cooper Telesco had the opportunity to avenge all of the ghosts of Cornell past including the ill-advised clear of 2009 in the finals versus Syracuse. Michael Sowers quietly racking up insane numbers year after year, while never making it out of Ivy League tournament, finally getting the supporting cast necessary to take him and his fellow Tigers to the promised land. What will be left of this Tiger uprising without Sowers and fellow seniors Connor McCarthy and Philip Robertson? What is left at Yale without scoring machine Matt Guadet, quarterback Jackson Morrill, Lucas Cotler and All-Universe FOGO TD Ierlan? And Penn came so close in 2019, losing by one goal to Yale in the finals, and finally were getting healthy in 2020 - gone are Adam Goldner, a ton of defense and Kyle Gallagher at FOGO. Those 4 teams really had a chance to make some noise this year in the NCAAs. But now all of these talented players are going to have to win it for another squad if they are hoping to continue their Final Four dreams.

Which brings me to 2021 - The Year of the Mercenaries. You would have to guess that some of the already established programs with great graduate programs (Duke, UNC, Virginia, Notre Dame and Michigan) will take in the greatest share of these Patriot and Ivy League refugees. It will be unbelievably interesting to see how these one-year rentals will shape the final landscape. If I had to guess Duke, UNC and Virginia will be the landing place for a lot of these guys. I would also think that Hopkins will be one of the most intriguing programs to keep an eye on. If Milliman can convince Jackson Morrill to extend his family legacy into a third generation at Hopkins AND recruit his former star Jeff Teat to join them in Baltimore, I am not sure there would be a better attack unit in D1 lacrosse when they hook up with Epstein (Unfortunately does not solve for the problems on the defensive side of the field.)

I feel bad for the Ivy league because of this "Lost Season." But as they say, one man's misery...

I can say for sure that there will be a handful of LeBron-Wade-Bosh Miami Heat look-alike teams out there that will be really easy to root against.

Forgot Maryland who has shown itself to be a black hole for transfers in recent years. They has already grabbed two from portal and wouldn't surprise to see them add more once they know what seniors return and then decide who to nudge out to keep roster under sixty. JHU and Michigan have holes to fill and could leap frog leap PSU for second best in b10 if their cards fall right .

Duke got the prime player, doubt they add further. UVA and ND will surely listen to talents that approach but dont see either as being proactive given restrictions and talents already in place.

IVIES did what the NCAA should have . They may not be at their fullest potential in 2021 but they will avoid some problems that was foolishly created . They will be competitive in 2021 b because they are not bereft of undergrad talent and the draw of their coveted degrees will continue the flow of good recruits in coming years especially since backlogs wont be a issue.

[Typical Lax Dad]

are there that many real difference makers out there yet?
teat would be a catch. it looks like seniors @ cornell will have an option, but they'll need to decide soon or already and supposedly drop a class to come back next spring. sowers of course was big.

fogo and goalie would seem to be where a team with a need could get something proven and will probably lead the market.

at other positions brown was a good pickup for umd, not like they need it. yorke is out there and would be. lots of guys i don't know in the portal and am assuming it will grow larger. not being able to utilize extra $$ for a 5th year transfer (unless the school adds on, which many won't) should dampen the action. so should already bloated rosters if even several seniors come back.

Kyle Gallagher pick a school yet? Rumor was Michigan.

would guess there would be word already. who might be a title contender in the running? duke again (he is from st anthony's)? unc possibly? michigan has a really good recruiter if they get him for a one year rental.

Or a good business school. He may end up staying at Penn. He was at Hofstra before Penn. Maybe he will end up staying at Penn.... two schools may be enough.

[Bluecollar]

Penn and other Ivies won't allow grad students to play, so the only option for Teat, Gallagher, etc would be to take another undergrad year and add a second major or something like that. Doable, but very expensive.

[QuakerSouth]

Cost is a factor that I don't think has gotten enough attention.

[Cooter]

Forgot Maryland who has shown itself to be a black hole for transfers in recent years. They has already grabbed two from portal and wouldn't surprise to see them add more once they know what seniors return and then decide who to nudge out to keep roster under sixty. JHU and Michigan have holes to fill and could leap frog leap PSU for second best in b10 if their cards fall right .

Not the best analogy, as black holes don't let matter leave, and UMd has 3 players on the transfer portal.
One might imagine that Morris and Pallonetti transferring out opened up a bit of scholarship money for Tillman to work with, allowing him to pick up Brown and Burlace along with incoming freshman Daniel Kelly. Recently, Jack DeSantis added his name to the transfer portal. Maryland's roster tends to around 50, usually a little less than 50, although this spring it was at 51.

MIchigan returns a lot actually. I imagine finding a top notch offensive midfielder could do a lot for them. Of course, adding a player like Teat would do a lot for them also.

[Realguy]

Forgot Maryland who has shown itself to be a black hole for transfers in recent years. They has already grabbed two from portal and wouldn't surprise to see them add more once they know what seniors return and then decide who to nudge out to keep roster under sixty. JHU and Michigan have holes to fill and could leap frog leap PSU for second best in b10 if their cards fall right .

Not the best analogy, as black holes don't let matter leave, and UMd has 3 players on the transfer portal.
One might imagine that Morris and Pallonetti transferring out opened up a bit of scholarship money for Tillman to work with, allowing him to pick up Brown and Burlace along with incoming freshman Daniel Kelly. Recently, Jack DeSantis added his name to the transfer portal. Maryland's roster tends to around 50, usually a little less than 50, although this spring it was at 51.

MIchigan returns a lot actually. I imagine finding a top notch offensive midfielder could do a lot for them. Of course, adding a player like Teat would do a lot for them also.

Cooter we have been down this road before and the best analogy for Tills is Moreland Smith the One on One Movie coach. If you think for a second he isn't pushing out the Pallonetti's or Desantis type of guys that were great HS players but not "Terp Tough", you are kookie. If you think he didn't know Burlace was coming back and didn't start to work over guys to make them uncomfortable so they would leave again I say "kookie". It's fine just say what it is , that Tills runs this like a business and he gets paid to run it like a business ( A business that loses 1.5 mill a year). I am sure the picking up transfers and pushing out guys aren't over , the only concern is chemistry. Does there start to become a "who's next on the chopping block mentality" or zero loyalty. We shall see.

[10stone5]

Forgot Maryland who has shown itself to be a black hole for transfers in recent years. They has already grabbed two from portal and wouldn't surprise to see them add more once they know what seniors return and then decide who to nudge out to keep roster under sixty. JHU and Michigan have holes to fill and could leap frog leap PSU for second best in b10 if their cards fall right .

Not the best analogy, as black holes don't let matter leave, and UMd has 3 players on the transfer portal.
One might imagine that Morris and Pallonetti transferring out opened up a bit of scholarship money for Tillman to work with, allowing him to pick up Brown and Burlace along with incoming freshman Daniel Kelly. Recently, Jack DeSantis added his name to the transfer portal. Maryland's roster tends to around 50, usually a little less than 50, although this spring it was at 51.

MIchigan returns a lot actually. I imagine finding a top notch offensive midfielder could do a lot for them. Of course, adding a player like Teat would do a lot for them also.

Cooter we have been down this road before and the best analogy for Tills is Moreland Smith the One on One Movie coach. If you think for a second he isn't pushing out the Pallonetti's or Desantis type of guys that were great HS players but not "Terp Tough", you are kookie. If you think he didn't know Burlace was coming back and didn't start to work over guys to make them uncomfortable so they would leave again I say "kookie". It's fine just say what it is , that Tills runs this like a business and he gets paid to run it like a business ( A business that loses 1.5 mill a year). I am sure the picking up transfers and pushing out guys aren't over , the only concern is chemistry. Does there start to become a "who's next on the chopping block mentality" or zero loyalty. We shall see.

Why don’t you take any criticisms of the coach’s recruiting practices to the Maryland Thread ?

[Cooter]

Forgot Maryland who has shown itself to be a black hole for transfers in recent years. They has already grabbed two from portal and wouldn't surprise to see them add more once they know what seniors return and then decide who to nudge out to keep roster under sixty. JHU and Michigan have holes to fill and could leap frog leap PSU for second best in b10 if their cards fall right .

Not the best analogy, as black holes don't let matter leave, and UMd has 3 players on the transfer portal.
One might imagine that Morris and Pallonetti transferring out opened up a bit of scholarship money for Tillman to work with, allowing him to pick up Brown and Burlace along with incoming freshman Daniel Kelly. Recently, Jack DeSantis added his name to the transfer portal. Maryland's roster tends to around 50, usually a little less than 50, although this spring it was at 51.

MIchigan returns a lot actually. I imagine finding a top notch offensive midfielder could do a lot for them. Of course, adding a player like Teat would do a lot for them also.

Cooter we have been down this road before and the best analogy for Tills is Moreland Smith the One on One Movie coach. If you think for a second he isn't pushing out the Pallonetti's or Desantis type of guys that were great HS players but not "Terp Tough", you are kookie. If you think he didn't know Burlace was coming back and didn't start to work over guys to make them uncomfortable so they would leave again I say "kookie". It's fine just say what it is , that Tills runs this like a business and he gets paid to run it like a business ( A business that loses 1.5 mill a year). I am sure the picking up transfers and pushing out guys aren't over , the only concern is chemistry. Does there start to become a "who's next on the chopping block mentality" or zero loyalty. We shall see.

Your post seems sort of kookie.
I don't really know why Pallonetti or DeSantis transferred. They weren't playing much and being relatively talented players might have felt they had a better chance at playing somewhere else. I doubt that Tillman worked them over or forced them out. I don't think that the team has been meeting since the middle of March.

DeSantis' name just recently seemed to get added to the transfer portal, long after Burlace had announced his transfer to UMd.

[10stone5]

Cornell with Jeff Teat, Conner Fletcher, Brandon Salvadore, Cooper Telesco had the opportunity to avenge all of the ghosts of Cornell past including the ill-advised clear of 2009 in the finals versus Syracuse. Michael Sowers quietly racking up insane numbers year after year, while never making it out of Ivy League tournament, finally getting the supporting cast necessary to take him and his fellow Tigers to the promised land. What will be left of this Tiger uprising without Sowers and fellow seniors Connor McCarthy and Philip Robertson? What is left at Yale without scoring machine Matt Guadet, quarterback Jackson Morrill, Lucas Cotler and All-Universe FOGO TD Ierlan? And Penn came so close in 2019, losing by one goal to Yale in the finals, and finally were getting healthy in 2020 - gone are Adam Goldner, a ton of defense and Kyle Gallagher at FOGO. Those 4 teams really had a chance to make some noise this year in the NCAAs. But now all of these talented players are going to have to win it for another squad if they are hoping to continue their Final Four dreams.

Which brings me to 2021 - The Year of the Mercenaries. You would have to guess that some of the already established programs with great graduate programs (Duke, UNC, Virginia, Notre Dame and Michigan) will take in the greatest share of these Patriot and Ivy League refugees.

Kyle Gallagher might be one of the most interesting names on that list.
Totally under the radar, wasn’t on anyone’s top xxx list.
Will parlay this Coronavirus FUBAR potentially into a great education, Hofstra, Penn undergrad - and per rumors, Michigan for a post-grad, potentially an MBA.

[wgdsr]

are there that many real difference makers out there yet?
teat would be a catch. it looks like seniors @ cornell will have an option, but they'll need to decide soon or already and supposedly drop a class to come back next spring. sowers of course was big.

fogo and goalie would seem to be where a team with a need could get something proven and will probably lead the market.

at other positions brown was a good pickup for umd, not like they need it. yorke is out there and would be. lots of guys i don't know in the portal and am assuming it will grow larger. not being able to utilize extra $$ for a 5th year transfer (unless the school adds on, which many won't) should dampen the action. so should already bloated rosters if even several seniors come back.

Kyle Gallagher pick a school yet? Rumor was Michigan.

would guess there would be word already. who might be a title contender in the running? duke again (he is from st anthony's)? unc possibly? michigan has a really good recruiter if they get him for a one year rental.

Or a good business school. He may end up staying at Penn. He was at Hofstra before Penn. Maybe he will end up staying at Penn.... two schools may be enough.

gallagher to notre dame along with penn defensman thornton.

[Typical Lax Dad]

are there that many real difference makers out there yet?
teat would be a catch. it looks like seniors @ cornell will have an option, but they'll need to decide soon or already and supposedly drop a class to come back next spring. sowers of course was big.

fogo and goalie would seem to be where a team with a need could get something proven and will probably lead the market.

at other positions brown was a good pickup for umd, not like they need it. yorke is out there and would be. lots of guys i don't know in the portal and am assuming it will grow larger. not being able to utilize extra $$ for a 5th year transfer (unless the school adds on, which many won't) should dampen the action. so should already bloated rosters if even several seniors come back.

Kyle Gallagher pick a school yet? Rumor was Michigan.

would guess there would be word already. who might be a title contender in the running? duke again (he is from st anthony's)? unc possibly? michigan has a really good recruiter if they get him for a one year rental.

Or a good business school. He may end up staying at Penn. He was at Hofstra before Penn. Maybe he will end up staying at Penn.... two schools may be enough.

gallagher to notre dame along with penn defensman thornton.

Thanks. A good business school with a 1 year program. ND network on top of a UPenn network is pretty good.

[Farfromgeneva]

Going to be an interesting season. Clear that the big schools and a few state schools are going to clean up the portal on 5th years. Will be interesting to see how many Ivy guys ultimately take it in Big Ten and ACC schools. While Hobart loses Holden, 5/8 seniors are coming back which seems high for a liberal arts schools that’s not cheap. Wonder what the smaller 2/3 of D1 will be on a bag w returning 5th year kids, my guess is lower than 63%.

Lots can change but right now pretty hard to see how anyone outside about six or so schools will be in the FF:

Duke
Denver
ND
MD
Cuse - They’ll be stocked
Yale - BC of TD mainly

Schools like OSU, PSU, Loyola, JHU, UNC and a few others normally in the mix will have a tough time with that group.

Can’t imagine Duke and MD not in FF

[Cooter]

Going to be an interesting season. Clear that the big schools and a few state schools are going to clean up the portal on 5th years. Will be interesting to see how many Ivy guys ultimately take it in Big Ten and ACC schools. While Hobart loses Holden, 5/8 seniors are coming back which seems high for a liberal arts schools that’s not cheap. Wonder what the smaller 2/3 of D1 will be on a bag w returning 5th year kids, my guess is lower than 63%.

Lots can change but right now pretty hard to see how anyone outside about six or so schools will be in the FF:

Duke
Denver
ND
MD
Cuse - They’ll be stocked
Yale - BC of TD mainly

Schools like OSU, PSU, Loyola, JHU, UNC and a few others normally in the mix will have a tough time with that group.

Can’t imagine Duke and MD not in FF

UVa might be pretty good. Sausted will have probably recovered from his injury, giving them a top d-man, Jared Connors is scheduled to return. Their freshmen d-men have some experience under their belts. Moore, Laviano, Cormier give a strong attack group.
Penn loses their face-off man, but Lully and Gergar certainly looked good on the attack - and Handley should be recovered from his spleen injury. Penn might well have been 4-1 if Handley hadn't been injured.
ND - certainly Gallagher helps with the FOs, but Costabile is moving on. Not a lot of offense.

[jrn19]

Going to be an interesting season. Clear that the big schools and a few state schools are going to clean up the portal on 5th years. Will be interesting to see how many Ivy guys ultimately take it in Big Ten and ACC schools. While Hobart loses Holden, 5/8 seniors are coming back which seems high for a liberal arts schools that’s not cheap. Wonder what the smaller 2/3 of D1 will be on a bag w returning 5th year kids, my guess is lower than 63%.

Lots can change but right now pretty hard to see how anyone outside about six or so schools will be in the FF:

Duke
Denver
ND
MD
Cuse - They’ll be stocked
Yale - BC of TD mainly

Schools like OSU, PSU, Loyola, JHU, UNC and a few others normally in the mix will have a tough time with that group.

Can’t imagine Duke and MD not in FF

Denver and ND certainly got better, but don’t see how you could put them for sure ahead of UNC, who pretty well dominated Denver in their meeting this year and returns the bulk of their roster. Plus bringing in another elite recruiting class. Or Penn State, who brings back everyone but Ament from a team that was in the Top 6 and made the Final Four in 2019. Denver and ND are improved, but they gotta prove they’re on that level first

Gallagher and Thornton are nice pick-ups for ND, but they were still 2-3 this year before things got called off and again looked rather middling on the offensive end once they got up against better opposition.