Johns Hopkins 2024

[random observer]

4-star Chaminade attackman Connor Kuttin commits to the Jays: https://twitter.com/natlaxfed/status/17 ... 0187714986

He was a 5-star and top 10 on NLF as of March, now listed as their #35 prospect. 4-star but not top 50 on IL.

Looks undersized but is praised for his IQ and vision. Stylistically his game tape reminds me quite a bit of another smaller attackman from Long Island...Chris Gray.

One of his older brothers was originally a Hopkins commit but ended up going to Yale.

Kuttin is a good player and a good get for the Jays. But with respect, he is nothing like Chris Gray. For all his many skills, what made Gray a tier 1 attack man was his dodging ability. From what I have heard and seen of Kuttin, he's a good finisher and maybe the best pure feeder in the class, but he doesn't seem like a guy who is going to draw many slides against D1 poles.

[HopFan16]

4-star Chaminade attackman Connor Kuttin commits to the Jays: https://twitter.com/natlaxfed/status/17 ... 0187714986

He was a 5-star and top 10 on NLF as of March, now listed as their #35 prospect. 4-star but not top 50 on IL.

Looks undersized but is praised for his IQ and vision. Stylistically his game tape reminds me quite a bit of another smaller attackman from Long Island...Chris Gray.

One of his older brothers was originally a Hopkins commit but ended up going to Yale.

Kuttin is a good player and a good get for the Jays. But with respect, he is nothing like Chris Gray. For all his many skills, what made Gray a tier 1 attack man was his dodging ability. From what I have heard and seen of Kuttin, he's a good finisher and maybe the best pure feeder in the class, but he doesn't seem like a guy who is going to draw many slides against D1 poles.

Nothing like him? Gray was slippery, strong for his size, and could take advantage of bad approaches but I wouldn't say dodging is what separated him at all. He scored a ton of goals off-ball. *Elite* shooter, elite vision, IQ, phenomenal off ball but he wasn't exactly blowing by top poles regularly.

I am not predicting Kuttin will be as good as Gray, just that the way he moves and plays reminds me of him. But for the record there are a zillion clips of him beating guys and drawing slides against D1 commits.

[random observer]

4-star Chaminade attackman Connor Kuttin commits to the Jays: https://twitter.com/natlaxfed/status/17 ... 0187714986

He was a 5-star and top 10 on NLF as of March, now listed as their #35 prospect. 4-star but not top 50 on IL.

Looks undersized but is praised for his IQ and vision. Stylistically his game tape reminds me quite a bit of another smaller attackman from Long Island...Chris Gray.

One of his older brothers was originally a Hopkins commit but ended up going to Yale.

Kuttin is a good player and a good get for the Jays. But with respect, he is nothing like Chris Gray. For all his many skills, what made Gray a tier 1 attack man was his dodging ability. From what I have heard and seen of Kuttin, he's a good finisher and maybe the best pure feeder in the class, but he doesn't seem like a guy who is going to draw many slides against D1 poles.

Nothing like him? Gray was slippery, strong for his size, and could take advantage of bad approaches but I wouldn't say dodging is what separated him at all. He scored a ton of goals off-ball. *Elite* shooter, elite vision, IQ, phenomenal off ball but he wasn't exactly blowing by top poles regularly.

I am not predicting Kuttin will be as good as Gray, just that the way he moves and plays reminds me of him. But for the record there are a zillion clips of him beating guys and drawing slides against D1 commits.

He may not have been Bernhardt or Shellenberger, but IMO Gray was still a guy who could beat top poles with regularity. He was UNC's top dodging threat his entire time there; if he couldn't handle being assigned #1 defenders in the ACC, he never would've gotten close to 400 points. But more importantly, he tore up defenders in high school. If you're not a consistent matchup problem in high school, then odds are you definitely won't be one in college when defenses are that much tougher to unpack.

I've seen a lot of clips of Kuttin and a few games, and obviously he can beat a pole at times, but I've not seen much tape of him beating a guy with sheer foot speed the way Gray demonstrated he could at that point in time. I'd describe his effectiveness as more in line with a guy like Kevin Lindley of Loyola. In high school he had plenty of tape beating poles even though he was primarily projected as a finisher. In college, Lindley was good enough to beat a pole who was out of position, and when teams tried to put a short stick on him he usually demonstrated pretty quickly that he could punish the matchup. But it was not really a big part of his game the way it was for Gray; him dodging on a pole was never a part of Loyola's best gameplan.

This is all not to denigrate Kuttin, who is a very good player with skill and smarts to spare (after all, Kevin Lindley is the PL's all-time leading scorer and a pro in the PLL). It's just to give my two cents on the type of player he is and isn't.

[Sagittarius A*]

IL's writeup on Kuttin:

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/recruiti ... e=analysis

"With an innate feeding ability and high lacrosse acumen, Kuttin was awfully comfortable working as a catalyst from X and also did a nice job dodging to score. He was able to take advantage of bad approaches and, because of his stature, he was also able to get underneath of defensemen after getting topside. "

[51percentcorn]

Probably all need to slow down on this poor child. He won't be putting on a Hopkins uniform for real until Spring of 2026, Therefore, he could have a growth spurt maybe and certainly continue to add strength, quickness etc. As with all the top programs there can also be a waiting period to play the position he wants. Ayers will hopefully be healthy and a junior in 2026 so if Kuttin wants the keys to the car he might have to wait. So it could be 2028 before we need his Chris Gray impression.

[Hopfan]

Having just landed its 10th 2025 commitment, this class already matches (or exceeds if Lumpris plays football) the 2024 class, which will likely remain small given the post-Covid overcrowded roster. Guessing there will be a few more additions to the 2025 class as things return to recruiting status quo.
2025 class also well balanced position-wise, whereas no attackmen in 2024.
2025 also has what some are calling the class’s best passing middie (Nolting) and attackman (Kuttin), as well the only Canadian defenseman I recall us recruiting, Parker Sorensen. The only other Canadian DM I recall was Marc Pion, who was a transfer, but I defer to others with better memories on that question.

[HopFan16]

Another 4-star: Max Wickersham, A/M, from La Salle outside Philly aka Tucker Durkin's alma mater. He's listed at attack on IL but in a lot of the clips I've seen it looks like he's playing middie.

That gives the Jays eight 4-stars — three more than the last recruiting cycle. Class breakdown:

1 G
1 FO
2 A
3 D
4 M

Could see them adding maybe one more, but seems just about done for now. Lot of major HS powers represented — Chaminade (x2), Lawrenceville, Salisbury, Brunswick, IMG.

[Sagittarius A*]

This staff doesn't seem to be interested in recruiting five stars, or isn't willing to pay the price for them.
Of course, a team is more than the sum of its parts.
The previous staff got their share of five stars, but it didn't exactly work out for them except for one year, 2015.
If you get a class of players that fit well together and work well together you potentially can get a superior product in the end.
2023 was a pleasant surprise, but the team was often playing as an underdog in the big games.
I wonder how this team will respond to higher expectations in 2024 and having a big target on their backs.

[51percentcorn]

This staff doesn't seem to be interested in recruiting five stars, or isn't willing to pay the price for them.

This is seriously incorrect IMO. Of course they are interested - who doesn't want the best players? This almost suggests PM and JC are eliminating whomever the oracle from St. Pauls is deeming a 5 star - that's absurd. Those lists are for fans - not coaches. The fact that Hopkins is not getting the 5*'s as ranked by IL and NLF is related to 2 big things not necessarily in order of importance:
- As you point out Hopkins last Final 4 appearance will be 9 seasons ago - Since then 2016 was a disaster (many injuries) - 2017 was an 8-7 record and the 13 goal loss to Duke in the first round - 2018 was a decent year - quarterfinals - 2019 we had Epstein's 73 points and not much else - 2020 not headed in a good direction - 2021 and 2022 - Dumpster fires choose your reasons - 2023 certainly the best since 2018. So Hopkins performance over the last 9 seasons is a trend that is not their friend. It's probably not a coincidence that Notre Dame wins the title - gets Q and Carc waxing about the Kavanaughs etc and the Irish are sitting on 4 5 stars and 8 4 stars for 2025
- Hopkins is a unique institution getting squeezed in two directions - Kids that are influenced by toys now have several big institutions to listen to - kids that have academics on their minds now have Georgetown, Duke, etc. and virtually all of the Ivy League to consider as well as Hopkins (that's not to insult any other school's academics). For example, take the "5 star" attackman from Bullis that Il and others said was very focused on the academics - many years ago Hopkins is probably the logical choice - or certainly would be near the top - I guess I read he chose Penn? Hard to fault a kid for going to Penn. It's sheer math as well - there are only what 15-20 "5 stars" - I guesss IL had 19. Add up Notre Dame/UVA/MD/Syracuse/UNC/Yale/Princeton/Penn/Harvard/Georgetown/Duke - not to mention Hopkins the rest of the BIG and other schools so your dividing 19 by close to 19 and if you come up with a single 5 star you're hitting the probability percentages.

As for not "Paying" enough - I am certainly not qualified to speak to the increasingly complex world of Scholarship/Need/NIL that has emerged. It would seem by others' comments that Hopkins has started to pony up very high percentages for some recruits so if they really wanted a 5 star and the 5 star wanted Hopkins - it would happen.

[HopFan16]

This staff doesn't seem to be interested in recruiting five stars, or isn't willing to pay the price for them.
Of course, a team is more than the sum of its parts.
The previous staff got their share of five stars, but it didn't exactly work out for them except for one year, 2015.
If you get a class of players that fit well together and work well together you potentially can get a superior product in the end.
2023 was a pleasant surprise, but the team was often playing as an underdog in the big games.
I wonder how this team will respond to higher expectations in 2024 and having a big target on their backs.

Reminder that Matt Collison was not a 5-star.

The star system is a good guideline, but it's not the final word. These are rising juniors in high school — many will get better, some won't. The staff's recruiting history at Hopkins and at their previous stops speaks for itself. It might take another Final Four appearance at least before the 5-stars are lining up at the door. Upward trajectory is obvious but some kids need to see the results first.

[AreaLax]

New commit
Max Wickersham A from La Salle in Pa

[HopFan16]

Degnon and Szuluk voted captains: https://hopkinssports.com/news/2023/10/ ... tains.aspx

[Sagittarius A*]

If they can't get one five star recruit in three recruiting cycles, I would say they're not trying to.
Maybe you have to give out .75 rides or something?? I don't know, but it would appear it isn't what this staff wants.
Do you really want guys coming in thinking they're all that? Or a bunch of stars who can't work together. And it didn't really work out for the last staff, did it?
Bringing in guys who feel slighted or under valued has advantages to it.
On the other side of the coin, I don't know who in hell is doing rankings for IL, but not having Collison and H. Chauvette listed as five stars was brain dead. Just a bunch of kids without algorithms doing the rankings. lol.

[51percentcorn]

If they can't get one five star recruit in three recruiting cycles, I would say they're not trying to.

Simply not true - this is the Ancient Age thinking that Hopkins can do what it wants - that world doesn't exist anymore

Do you really want guys coming in thinking they're all that? Or a bunch of stars who can't work together. And it didn't really work out for the last staff, did it?

Bringing in guys who feel slighted or under valued has advantages to it.

So after the new you know what you continually ripped MIlliman for recruiting - now you are crafting a positive spin? Are you serious?? BTW - the recruiting class that showed up in 2005 had 3 in the Top 10 (so by default 5 stars) - how did they do? The last semi appearance was fueled by some 5 stars and high 4 stars. While the Greeley led Top ranked class never got to Memorial Day - some decent teams - broke the Klockner curse and the last time Hopkins was ranked #1. It helps to have great players - I think UVA/Duke/MD can attest to that.

[51percentcorn]

The schedule is up on the web-site as well

[nyjay]

If they can't get one five star recruit in three recruiting cycles, I would say they're not trying to.

My guess is that PM actually does have a tendency to value kids differently than the IL rankings and from the schools that get a ton of those top 10 kind of recruits (cough, cough, UVA, cough, cough, Duke). That said, when he does love a kid, I don't think it matters if the kid is highly ranked. Certainly didn't shy away from recruiting Jeff Teat while at Cornell. I did think they'd end up with one of those top 10ish kids this year, but doesn't look like that's going to happen.

[flalax22]

This staff doesn't seem to be interested in recruiting five stars, or isn't willing to pay the price for them.
Of course, a team is more than the sum of its parts.
The previous staff got their share of five stars, but it didn't exactly work out for them except for one year, 2015.
If you get a class of players that fit well together and work well together you potentially can get a superior product in the end.
2023 was a pleasant surprise, but the team was often playing as an underdog in the big games.
I wonder how this team will respond to higher expectations in 2024 and having a big target on their backs.

Tightening academic requirements around the program requires the staff to find players that can get by admissions not the ones deemed star worthy. It will be an interesting storyline to follow for the program in the next few years.

[MDlaxfan76]

This staff doesn't seem to be interested in recruiting five stars, or isn't willing to pay the price for them.
Of course, a team is more than the sum of its parts.
The previous staff got their share of five stars, but it didn't exactly work out for them except for one year, 2015.
If you get a class of players that fit well together and work well together you potentially can get a superior product in the end.
2023 was a pleasant surprise, but the team was often playing as an underdog in the big games.
I wonder how this team will respond to higher expectations in 2024 and having a big target on their backs.

Tightening academic requirements around the program requires the staff to find players that can get by admissions not the ones deemed star worthy. It will be an interesting storyline to follow for the program in the next few years.

mmm, I'm not so sure the academic standards for Men's Lax have tightened so much that the majority of the Top 10 each year wouldn't be able to get through. Color me skeptical on that one.

IMO, Hop will get their share as the team improves and expectations rise again. Going the right direction right now.

PS, agreed on not getting hung up on rankings based on sophomore season and pre-junior summer.

[51percentcorn]

These kids are rising juniors - haven't taken SATs or ACTs yet - Of the 19 Five stars on ILS list looks like maybe only 3/4/5 are from public schools - rest are from the McDonoghs/Haverfords etc. of the world. Maher and Ortleib noted as being outstanding students. Certainly glad PM and JC are so good at predicting admission decisions - oh by the way - no details or evidence that standards have been raised for the lacrosse team. I was told - during the Daniels/Alanna tenure - by an incredibly well respected and tenured Hopkins DIII sport head coach that standards were raised across the board for DIII athletes - and lacrosse was not affected.

[TheRaven]

This staff doesn't seem to be interested in recruiting five stars, or isn't willing to pay the price for them.

This is seriously incorrect IMO. Of course they are interested - who doesn't want the best players? This almost suggests PM and JC are eliminating whomever the oracle from St. Pauls is deeming a 5 star - that's absurd. Those lists are for fans - not coaches. The fact that Hopkins is not getting the 5*'s as ranked by IL and NLF is related to 2 big things not necessarily in order of importance:
- As you point out Hopkins last Final 4 appearance will be 9 seasons ago - Since then 2016 was a disaster (many injuries) - 2017 was an 8-7 record and the 13 goal loss to Duke in the first round - 2018 was a decent year - quarterfinals - 2019 we had Epstein's 73 points and not much else - 2020 not headed in a good direction - 2021 and 2022 - Dumpster fires choose your reasons - 2023 certainly the best since 2018. So Hopkins performance over the last 9 seasons is a trend that is not their friend. It's probably not a coincidence that Notre Dame wins the title - gets Q and Carc waxing about the Kavanaughs etc and the Irish are sitting on 4 5 stars and 8 4 stars for 2025
- Hopkins is a unique institution getting squeezed in two directions - Kids that are influenced by toys now have several big institutions to listen to - kids that have academics on their minds now have Georgetown, Duke, etc. and virtually all of the Ivy League to consider as well as Hopkins (that's not to insult any other school's academics). For example, take the "5 star" attackman from Bullis that Il and others said was very focused on the academics - many years ago Hopkins is probably the logical choice - or certainly would be near the top - I guess I read he chose Penn? Hard to fault a kid for going to Penn. It's sheer math as well - there are only what 15-20 "5 stars" - I guesss IL had 19. Add up Notre Dame/UVA/MD/Syracuse/UNC/Yale/Princeton/Penn/Harvard/Georgetown/Duke - not to mention Hopkins the rest of the BIG and other schools so your dividing 19 by close to 19 and if you come up with a single 5 star you're hitting the probability percentages.

As for not "Paying" enough - I am certainly not qualified to speak to the increasingly complex world of Scholarship/Need/NIL that has emerged. It would seem by others' comments that Hopkins has started to pony up very high percentages for some recruits so if they really wanted a 5 star and the 5 star wanted Hopkins - it would happen.

In my opinion, the notion that programs like Johns Hopkins University lacrosse aren't interested in recruiting the best players is seriously flawed. I mean, who wouldn't want the top talent on their team? It's almost as if there's a suggestion that Coach Petro and Coach Connolly are just going along with whatever the so-called 'oracle' from St. Paul's deems as a 5-star recruit, and that's simply absurd. These star rankings are primarily for fans and the recruiting landscape is far more complex. Now, let's address why Hopkins might not be landing those 5-star recruits, and it boils down to a couple of significant factors, not necessarily in order of importance. First, if we look back, the last time Hopkins made it to the Final Four was nine seasons ago. Since then, there's been a mixed bag of seasons – 2016 was a disaster with numerous injuries, 2017 witnessed an 8-7 record and a 13-goal loss to Duke in the first round, 2018 showed promise with a quarterfinal appearance, 2019 relied heavily on Joey Epstein's 73 points, and 2020 didn't seem headed in the right direction. Then came 2021 and 2022, which were frankly dumpster fires for various reasons. However, 2023 has certainly been a turnaround year, but the recent performance over the last nine seasons hasn't exactly been a compelling trend in Hopkins' favor. Additionally, Hopkins faces unique challenges as an institution. In today's lacrosse landscape, there are two key directions that squeeze them. On one hand, players who are influenced by lacrosse 'toys' have numerous big institutions to consider. On the other hand, those with strong academic aspirations now have options like Georgetown, Duke, and virtually all the Ivy League schools to choose from, in addition to Hopkins. This isn't meant to slight the academic rigor of other schools, but it's a reality. Take, for example, a 5-star attackman from Bullis who was reportedly very focused on academics. In the past, Hopkins might have been a logical choice, if not at the top. However, I understand he chose Penn, and it's hard to fault a kid for making that choice. Furthermore, it's a numbers game. There are only about 15-20 "5-star" recruits available, and the competition for these players is fierce. Notre Dame, UVA, Maryland, Syracuse, UNC, Yale, Princeton, Penn, Harvard, Georgetown, Duke, and others are all vying for those top recruits. When you divide 19 five-star recruits among so many top-tier programs, the odds of landing one become quite challenging. As for the aspect of not "paying" enough, I'm not an expert on the intricacies of scholarships, financial aid, and NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deals, but it seems that Hopkins has begun to offer high percentages to some recruits. If Hopkins truly wanted a 5-star recruit and the recruit wanted Hopkins, it would probably happen. Let's not forget that Matt Collison, who has been exceptional for the team, was not a 5-star recruit.It's important to remember that the star system is a useful guideline, but it's not the final word. These are high school juniors, and many of them will continue to improve, while others may not. The coaching staff's recruiting history at Hopkins and their previous stops speaks volumes about their ability to identify talent. It might take another Final Four appearance or significant on-field success before 5-star recruits start lining up at the door. Sometimes, players need to see results before committing to a program. On a positive note, Hopkins is clearly on an upward trajectory, but some recruits might want to see sustained success before making their decision. And perhaps, the coaching staff prefers players who come in with a chip on their shoulder, feeling that they have something to prove. After all, the approach of bringing in players who feel underrated or underappreciated has its advantages. On the flip side, I'm not entirely sure who's in charge of rankings at Inside Lacrosse (IL), but not having Matt Collison and Hunter Chauvette listed as 5-star recruits seemed like an oversight. It sometimes feels like these rankings are determined by kids rather than an algorithm. As for the idea that academic standards have tightened so much that most of the top 10 programs can't get through, I'm somewhat skeptical of that claim. Lacrosse programs like Hopkins will continue to recruit players who can meet the admissions standards while also having the lacrosse skills needed to succeed. In my opinion, Hopkins will get its share of top talent as the team continues to improve, and expectations rise once again. Going in the right direction is evident, and it might be just a matter of time before we see those 5-star recruits donning the Blue Jay uniform. PS: I completely agree that getting hung up on rankings based on sophomore season and pre-junior summer can be misleading. The future of the program will likely depend more on identifying players who can navigate the admissions process successfully and contribute to the team's success.