Rutgers 2025

[Wheels]

chances any of the princeton transfers wanna stay in state?

The Canadians are ticketed to Syracuse already. I've heard Pedersen could end up at another B1G school.

[JeremyCuse]

chances any of the princeton transfers wanna stay in state?

Lots of rumbling and smoke but a few (3 or so) are rumored to be bound to ACC schools but obviously Princeton has quite a few in the portal so I suspect RU will be involved with at least a few of them.

[Njlaxx11]

Looking at the 2024 transfer portal topic, few kids from NJ listed.

Colucci and Lia of colgate, both areas of need
Mindard of delaware, fo need
labanca of SHU, goalie need
kemp of SJU, attack need

[HopFan16]

chances any of the princeton transfers wanna stay in state?

The Canadians are ticketed to Syracuse already. I've heard Pedersen could end up at another B1G school.

Which one?

Agree with you on your prior post about selectively using the portal to fill one or two obvious supplementary needs rather than the wholesale strategy. "We need two defenseman from the portal" to me screams depth issues. There isn't a defenseman on the roster who can play next year? Not one? How do you not see that as a problem? Going to the portal again to address that prolongs the issue. These other guys need to see the field or you'll just have the same issue again next season — and you can't count on there being many options. There absolutely will be fewer impact players to choose from next offseason. Count on it.

As for the notion that people have a problem with Rutgers for doing it — maybe others do but I don't. Brecht has got to do what he thinks is best for his team. If it's go heavy in the portal again, then so be it. I don't fault him for doing it, I just disagree with it as a strategy. I think they need to accept they might struggle again next year and then start rebuilding in a more traditional way.

[JeremyCuse]

chances any of the princeton transfers wanna stay in state?

The Canadians are ticketed to Syracuse already. I've heard Pedersen could end up at another B1G school.

Which one?

Agree with you on your prior post about selectively using the portal to fill one or two obvious supplementary needs rather than the wholesale strategy. "We need two defenseman from the portal" to me screams depth issues. There isn't a defenseman on the roster who can play next year? Not one? How do you not see that as a problem? Going to the portal again to address that prolongs the issue. These other guys need to see the field or you'll just have the same issue again next season — and you can't count on there being many options. There absolutely will be fewer impact players to choose from next offseason. Count on it.

As for the notion that people have a problem with Rutgers for doing it — maybe others do but I don't. Brecht has got to do what he thinks is best for his team. If it's go heavy in the portal again, then so be it. I don't fault him for doing it, I just disagree with it as a strategy. I think they need to accept they might struggle again next year and then start rebuilding in a more traditional way.

Stevens and English are rumored to be SU bound. Hearing Vardaro has heard from a few ACC schools (the usual suspects).

[GaitsRightHand]

chances any of the princeton transfers wanna stay in state?

The Canadians are ticketed to Syracuse already. I've heard Pedersen could end up at another B1G school.

Which one?

Agree with you on your prior post about selectively using the portal to fill one or two obvious supplementary needs rather than the wholesale strategy. "We need two defenseman from the portal" to me screams depth issues. There isn't a defenseman on the roster who can play next year? Not one? How do you not see that as a problem? Going to the portal again to address that prolongs the issue. These other guys need to see the field or you'll just have the same issue again next season — and you can't count on there being many options. There absolutely will be fewer impact players to choose from next offseason. Count on it.

As for the notion that people have a problem with Rutgers for doing it — maybe others do but I don't. Brecht has got to do what he thinks is best for his team. If it's go heavy in the portal again, then so be it. I don't fault him for doing it, I just disagree with it as a strategy. I think they need to accept they might struggle again next year and then start rebuilding in a more traditional way.

Pederson's father is a University of Michigan Football alum, so I wouldn't be surprised if he lands there.

Also, heard rumblings that English wants to go play with little bro at UNC.

[1766]

I'd be very surprised if English doesn't end up in Syracuse.

The portal debate is tired. Syracuse wouldn't have won nearly the games they did without portal guys this year. ND without Tevlin and Fake? Hopkins without Melendez and Mazzone? Those schools wouldn't be where they are without it. Other schools as well. McConvey at Uva is their best midfielder. UNC's best attackman are portal guys. Maryland doesn't have a generational team without the transfers last year.

The portal is part of recruiting now. It's that simple. The reason schools are that are doing it do it because it works. The only schools that aren't are one's that can't. Older guys who have played a lot of lacrosse are very valuable to a coaching staff.

[Wheels]

I'd be very surprised if English doesn't end up in Syracuse.

The portal debate is tired. Syracuse wouldn't have won nearly the games they did without portal guys this year. ND without Tevlin and Fake? Hopkins without Melendez and Mazzone? Those schools wouldn't be where they are without it. Other schools as well. McConvey at Uva is their best midfielder. UNC's best attackman are portal guys. Maryland doesn't have a generational team without the transfers last year.

The portal is part of recruiting now. It's that simple. The reason schools are that are doing it do it because it works. The only schools that aren't are one's that can't. Older guys who have played a lot of lacrosse are very valuable to a coaching staff.

From my perspective, it's a little more nuanced than that. Lacrosse teams have always recruited transfers because there's never been a 1-year sit out for lacrosse transfers. The issue is volume. Does Brecht go and bring in 10 transfers that are 1 or 2 year players? I think strategically that's a mistake at this point. If he going to bring in a bunch of rising sophomores? That's a different story. Obviously, you need to supplement your roster. It's one thing to bring in Jon Donville and Keegan Khan. It's another thing to turn your roster over like Syracuse with 10+ transfers. I think we also saw the problems of mass, 1-year transfers at Georgetown this year. Look how long it took them to gel. They're lucky that after their first 3 games that they didn't exactly play murderer's row so they could have time to gel against low level teams. Otherwise, that thing could have spiraled.

RU has 21 guys to replace. Obviously, Brecht is going to take transfers. The question to me is how many and how many years does each have left? That rebuild he has to make will take time. I don't think a quick fix is in the offing.

[Crease Crank]

Having casually watched Rutgers this year during Big 10 play, I would ask the RU fans if the transfers that came in were really that much better than the players recruited and currently on the roster. As an observer, I would say no. Then the question is, wouldn’t they have been better of playing & developing their recruits if they ended the season with the same record? Gotta wonder if that wears on the locker room culture.

[1766]

I'd be very surprised if English doesn't end up in Syracuse.

The portal debate is tired. Syracuse wouldn't have won nearly the games they did without portal guys this year. ND without Tevlin and Fake? Hopkins without Melendez and Mazzone? Those schools wouldn't be where they are without it. Other schools as well. McConvey at Uva is their best midfielder. UNC's best attackman are portal guys. Maryland doesn't have a generational team without the transfers last year.

The portal is part of recruiting now. It's that simple. The reason schools are that are doing it do it because it works. The only schools that aren't are one's that can't. Older guys who have played a lot of lacrosse are very valuable to a coaching staff.

From my perspective, it's a little more nuanced than that. Lacrosse teams have always recruited transfers because there's never been a 1-year sit out for lacrosse transfers. The issue is volume. Does Brecht go and bring in 10 transfers that are 1 or 2 year players? I think strategically that's a mistake at this point. If he going to bring in a bunch of rising sophomores? That's a different story. Obviously, you need to supplement your roster. It's one thing to bring in Jon Donville and Keegan Khan. It's another thing to turn your roster over like Syracuse with 10+ transfers. I think we also saw the problems of mass, 1-year transfers at Georgetown this year. Look how long it took them to gel. They're lucky that after their first 3 games that they didn't exactly play murderer's row so they could have time to gel against low level teams. Otherwise, that thing could have spiraled.

RU has 21 guys to replace. Obviously, Brecht is going to take transfers. The question to me is how many and how many years does each have left? That rebuild he has to make will take time. I don't think a quick fix is in the offing.

Some of those 21 guys are coming back. Especially the one's you want coming back. There are a bunch of young guys that the staff is high on. How fast will they be ready is the question.

College sports are essentially 1 year windows now. So much can happen every year with free agency. If you can upgrade a position via the portal, even for a year, every coach in lacrosse is going to do that now. It's just the way of the world. There are certainly risks that we see come with it, citing Georgetown as an example, but the risks are worth the rewards, also using Georgetown as an example.

As of now, Rutgers is only taking 2 transfers. One that has been announced and one that hasn't. I do expect that number to go up. How high, depends on who the players are and will they fit culturally. That's a big piece of it for the Rutgers staff. My gut feeling is we won't see as many come in this year and staff wants to play and develop those in the program.

[1766]

Having casually watched Rutgers this year during Big 10 play, I would ask the RU fans if the transfers that came in were really that much better than the players recruited and currently on the roster. As an observer, I would say no. Then the question is, wouldn’t they have been better of playing & developing their recruits if they ended the season with the same record? Gotta wonder if that wears on the locker room culture.

Fortunately, there are a lot of good kids in that program that just want to win. The culture is very important though and taking the right kids is paramount. If the coaches continue to get that right, all will be well. If they don't, then it won't. That goes for every team playing the portal game, which is every team that can.

Coach Brecht in particular has a solid strategy in what he wants. While those that came in this year weren't up to par in some cases to those they replaced, the locker room was never an issue.

But that's certainly something you keep very close tabs on.

[livelovelax]

fwiw, The culture at Rutgers is very good. The guys all get along. They have dudes and some will be on the field next year but getting transfers who have experience and are mature just makes sense. Guys already on the roster will step up.

[RURICK]

chances any of the princeton transfers wanna stay in state?

The Canadians are ticketed to Syracuse already. I've heard Pedersen could end up at another B1G school.

Which one?

Agree with you on your prior post about selectively using the portal to fill one or two obvious supplementary needs rather than the wholesale strategy. "We need two defenseman from the portal" to me screams depth issues. There isn't a defenseman on the roster who can play next year? Not one? How do you not see that as a problem? Going to the portal again to address that prolongs the issue. These other guys need to see the field or you'll just have the same issue again next season — and you can't count on there being many options. There absolutely will be fewer impact players to choose from next offseason. Count on it.

As for the notion that people have a problem with Rutgers for doing it — maybe others do but I don't. Brecht has got to do what he thinks is best for his team. If it's go heavy in the portal again, then so be it. I don't fault him for doing it, I just disagree with it as a strategy. I think they need to accept they might struggle again next year and then start rebuilding in a more traditional way.

Rutgers has never been able to recruit the top 100 players from high school in ANY year since i have been following the sport since the 1970's. Those recruits are pretty much going to the blue blooded, elite programs from the ACC, IVY, Hopkins, and now PSU. OSU, UMD. Period. I don't know current recruiting tactics from the above which ALWAYS have the pick of the litter. However, unless this trend is broken, the sport will never grow much further as you can predict in advance of most seasons who will get at large bids for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, Rutgers/Brecht figured out that the transfer portal was their primary way to attract some of the best players in the country to Rutgers. If he can somehow change the narrative that prohibits HS kids from joining Rutgers, people may understand Brecht to be one of the sports top coaches.

[wgdsr]

chances any of the princeton transfers wanna stay in state?

The Canadians are ticketed to Syracuse already. I've heard Pedersen could end up at another B1G school.

Which one?

Agree with you on your prior post about selectively using the portal to fill one or two obvious supplementary needs rather than the wholesale strategy. "We need two defenseman from the portal" to me screams depth issues. There isn't a defenseman on the roster who can play next year? Not one? How do you not see that as a problem? Going to the portal again to address that prolongs the issue. These other guys need to see the field or you'll just have the same issue again next season — and you can't count on there being many options. There absolutely will be fewer impact players to choose from next offseason. Count on it.

As for the notion that people have a problem with Rutgers for doing it — maybe others do but I don't. Brecht has got to do what he thinks is best for his team. If it's go heavy in the portal again, then so be it. I don't fault him for doing it, I just disagree with it as a strategy. I think they need to accept they might struggle again next year and then start rebuilding in a more traditional way.

Rutgers has never been able to recruit the top 100 players from high school in ANY year since i have been following the sport since the 1970's. Those recruits are pretty much going to the blue blooded, elite programs from the ACC, IVY, Hopkins, and now PSU. OSU, UMD. Period. I don't know current recruiting tactics from the above which ALWAYS have the pick of the litter. However, unless this trend is broken, the sport will never grow much further as you can predict in advance of most seasons who will get at large bids for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, Rutgers/Brecht figured out that the transfer portal was their primary way to attract some of the best players in the country to Rutgers. If he can somehow change the narrative that prohibits HS kids from joining Rutgers, people may understand Brecht to be one of the sports top coaches.

they did pretty well with recruiting in the mid to late 80s.

do you mean the sport will never grow much further at rutgers? in the aughts, there were 50 some div 1 schools. there are now 75. a lot of that probably has to do with the aq's as well as the growth at youth etc. levels since that time. division 3 has exploded in the number of teams. the worm may have turned at the youth level, but that has little to do with at large selections.

changing whatever the narrative is that prohibits hs kids from joining rutgers likely isn't going to happen if recruits think they'll be portalled over. to date, rutgers' portal strategy has raised their bar, so there's that.

[jrn19]

Rutgers was 37-23 from 2016-2019 and 9-11 in Big Ten play recruiting at largely the same level they are now. They didn't get in the tournament in those years but as discussed there was a degree of tough luck in there; Hartford doesn't win the America East in 2016 and Marquette doesn't win the Big East Tournament in 2017 and they likely get in both years. Have a decent shot at winning a game. With the transfer portal the way it is now available then to add a couple of players here and there to bolster the roster - the Kirst brothers; a Brian Cameron, Bartolo - I don't think it's out of the question at all they could have had success they had last few years. Brecht did a great job identifying a way to improve his roster and then did a great job assimilatng them into the program and made the most of it.

However, this year was clearly diminishing returns with it and that'll be the case long term. You didn't get Colin and Connor Kirst from Portal 2.0 like you did with 1.0 and didn't get a Bartolo and Jacoby from 3.0 like you did with 2.0. Like HF16 said, if the goal is to take 5-6 guys every year, the way they've been doing, I don't see it panning out.

I do think they continue to be a Top 20 program the way they were before and sprinkle in some more talent at need spots as I wrote above. I think the difficulty is Hopkins appears to be on an upward trajectory as opposed to downward unlike 2016-2019, Penn State is continuing to recruit at a really high level, and you also now have Michigan starting to break through and get results in B1G play (albeit haven't beat Rutgers yet) and they are recruiting better HS talent than Rutgers. That Top 3 in the B1G could be fortified and the 4th spot with Michigan could be tough to battle it out with for, where as back in pre-COVID, you knew you were never dropping lower than 5th.

however, I do think they're in a way better spot than Ohio State, so maybe that's still the case.

[Farfromgeneva]

chances any of the princeton transfers wanna stay in state?

The Canadians are ticketed to Syracuse already. I've heard Pedersen could end up at another B1G school.

Which one?

Agree with you on your prior post about selectively using the portal to fill one or two obvious supplementary needs rather than the wholesale strategy. "We need two defenseman from the portal" to me screams depth issues. There isn't a defenseman on the roster who can play next year? Not one? How do you not see that as a problem? Going to the portal again to address that prolongs the issue. These other guys need to see the field or you'll just have the same issue again next season — and you can't count on there being many options. There absolutely will be fewer impact players to choose from next offseason. Count on it.

As for the notion that people have a problem with Rutgers for doing it — maybe others do but I don't. Brecht has got to do what he thinks is best for his team. If it's go heavy in the portal again, then so be it. I don't fault him for doing it, I just disagree with it as a strategy. I think they need to accept they might struggle again next year and then start rebuilding in a more traditional way.

Rutgers has never been able to recruit the top 100 players from high school in ANY year since i have been following the sport since the 1970's. Those recruits are pretty much going to the blue blooded, elite programs from the ACC, IVY, Hopkins, and now PSU. OSU, UMD. Period. I don't know current recruiting tactics from the above which ALWAYS have the pick of the litter. However, unless this trend is broken, the sport will never grow much further as you can predict in advance of most seasons who will get at large bids for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, Rutgers/Brecht figured out that the transfer portal was their primary way to attract some of the best players in the country to Rutgers. If he can somehow change the narrative that prohibits HS kids from joining Rutgers, people may understand Brecht to be one of the sports top coaches.

they did pretty well with recruiting in the mid to late 80s.

do you mean the sport will never grow much further at rutgers? in the aughts, there were 50 some div 1 schools. there are now 75. a lot of that probably has to do with the aq's as well as the growth at youth etc. levels since that time. division 3 has exploded in the number of teams. the worm may have turned at the youth level, but that has little to do with at large selections.

changing whatever the narrative is that prohibits hs kids from joining rutgers likely isn't going to happen if recruits think they'll be portalled over. to date, rutgers' portal strategy has raised their bar, so there's that.

The AQ definitely promotes growth in participation. Seen it across many sports.

[1766]

Rutgers was 37-23 from 2016-2019 and 9-11 in Big Ten play recruiting at largely the same level they are now. They didn't get in the tournament in those years but as discussed there was a degree of tough luck in there; Hartford doesn't win the America East in 2016 and Marquette doesn't win the Big East Tournament in 2017 and they likely get in both years. Have a decent shot at winning a game. With the transfer portal the way it is now available then to add a couple of players here and there to bolster the roster - the Kirst brothers; a Brian Cameron, Bartolo - I don't think it's out of the question at all they could have had success they had last few years. Brecht did a great job identifying a way to improve his roster and then did a great job assimilatng them into the program and made the most of it.

However, this year was clearly diminishing returns with it and that'll be the case long term. You didn't get Colin and Connor Kirst from Portal 2.0 like you did with 1.0 and didn't get a Bartolo and Jacoby from 3.0 like you did with 2.0. Like HF16 said, if the goal is to take 5-6 guys every year, the way they've been doing, I don't see it panning out.

I do think they continue to be a Top 20 program the way they were before and sprinkle in some more talent at need spots as I wrote above. I think the difficulty is Hopkins appears to be on an upward trajectory as opposed to downward unlike 2016-2019, Penn State is continuing to recruit at a really high level, and you also now have Michigan starting to break through and get results in B1G play (albeit haven't beat Rutgers yet) and they are recruiting better HS talent than Rutgers. That Top 3 in the B1G could be fortified and the 4th spot with Michigan could be tough to battle it out with for, where as back in pre-COVID, you knew you were never dropping lower than 5th.

however, I do think they're in a way better spot than Ohio State, so maybe that's still the case.

The recruiting of HS athletes has never been better under Coach Brecht. The staff has never been more excited with what they have coming in. He's playing the portal game just like everyone else who can play it is.

Once the portal game ends, it ends for everyone. I get Rutgers has had a lot of success with it which for some odd reason draws ire to Rutgers specifically for some strange reason. Coach Brecht should be commended for that. Around the program he most certainly is. He saw the opportunity before anyone else and took advantage of it. You want a coach who is able to do that.

[10stone5]

What I've read,
the portal keeps going just like other sports, football, basketball,

only there won't be the surplus of 5th year covid year players.

[JeremyCuse]

Rutgers was 37-23 from 2016-2019 and 9-11 in Big Ten play recruiting at largely the same level they are now. They didn't get in the tournament in those years but as discussed there was a degree of tough luck in there; Hartford doesn't win the America East in 2016 and Marquette doesn't win the Big East Tournament in 2017 and they likely get in both years. Have a decent shot at winning a game. With the transfer portal the way it is now available then to add a couple of players here and there to bolster the roster - the Kirst brothers; a Brian Cameron, Bartolo - I don't think it's out of the question at all they could have had success they had last few years. Brecht did a great job identifying a way to improve his roster and then did a great job assimilatng them into the program and made the most of it.

However, this year was clearly diminishing returns with it and that'll be the case long term. You didn't get Colin and Connor Kirst from Portal 2.0 like you did with 1.0 and didn't get a Bartolo and Jacoby from 3.0 like you did with 2.0. Like HF16 said, if the goal is to take 5-6 guys every year, the way they've been doing, I don't see it panning out.

I do think they continue to be a Top 20 program the way they were before and sprinkle in some more talent at need spots as I wrote above. I think the difficulty is Hopkins appears to be on an upward trajectory as opposed to downward unlike 2016-2019, Penn State is continuing to recruit at a really high level, and you also now have Michigan starting to break through and get results in B1G play (albeit haven't beat Rutgers yet) and they are recruiting better HS talent than Rutgers. That Top 3 in the B1G could be fortified and the 4th spot with Michigan could be tough to battle it out with for, where as back in pre-COVID, you knew you were never dropping lower than 5th.

however, I do think they're in a way better spot than Ohio State, so maybe that's still the case.

The recruiting of HS athletes has never been better under Coach Brecht. The staff has never been more excited with what they have coming in. He's playing the portal game just like everyone else who can play it is.

Once the portal game ends, it ends for everyone. I get Rutgers has had a lot of success with it which for some odd reason draws ire to Rutgers specifically for some strange reason. Coach Brecht should be commended for that. Around the program he most certainly is. He saw the opportunity before anyone else and took advantage of it. You want a coach who is able to do that.

The portal game has been going on long before COVID and will continue after the last of the 5th years exhaust eligibility. What will change is the amount of players available and that there will be more competition for the elite players who enter.

[1766]

It will decrease significantly. Sure, the odd superstar will want out but it will all go back to what it was. Kids who didn't play or weren't getting the minutes they want. Guys who see the field don't typically transfer, and with the extra year ending, there will be no place for them to go any longer.

Transferring will be as easy as ever, but the talent in the portal will significantly decrease after the extra Covid year ends.