IL's Top 50 Men's College Lacrosse Players For 2024

[Farfromgeneva]

I actually think Melendez at #42 or whatever is appropriate. From a pure *talent* perspective I think he's top 10-20 but because of the Hopkins offense/his role, he's not going to put massive point totals over the course of an entire season, and probably maxes out as a 3rd team AA. Angelus directs things from X and there's a crowd of shooters/finishers in Degnon, Collison, Grimes, etc., so he's not asked to carry the load. It will be interesting to see how he evolves in 2025 after Angelus leaves — he'll probably be needed to do a lot more and we could see his point totals jump from 50-60 to 70-80 or so.

IL dropped its top 10 — Boehm and Vardaro are in. Lyons, Zawada, and Cole are not. Not sure how Princeton went 8-7 with a 1st round exit with two top 10 players in Mackesy and Vardaro and then a swath of other top 50 guys in Pederson, Gianforcaro, Stevens, English, etc. Seems like that group as a whole is probably a bit overrated, otherwise they really screwed the pooch last year because that is championship caliber talent equal to or better than Duke/ND. I know English missed the end of the year, but sheesh. That's a disappointing result for having all those dudes.

Like anything associated with IL, it’s ranking inflation. Also, I believe it’s a forward look versus a backward look. As much as I like Vardaro, he’s not a top 10 player. Where were these players on the 2023 post season AA list? Chris Lyons not being on this top 50 list is just stupid but probably due to Yale slipping a little as a team because of course, if the team does well, the players are all better…..as for the Princeton exit. Lack of a productive zone offense costs them….not necessarily a lack of quality players.

If you aren’t pleased I got a Raymond/Fisher for Madalon/Hirsch swap for you to consider.

[Typical Lax Dad]

I actually think Melendez at #42 or whatever is appropriate. From a pure *talent* perspective I think he's top 10-20 but because of the Hopkins offense/his role, he's not going to put massive point totals over the course of an entire season, and probably maxes out as a 3rd team AA. Angelus directs things from X and there's a crowd of shooters/finishers in Degnon, Collison, Grimes, etc., so he's not asked to carry the load. It will be interesting to see how he evolves in 2025 after Angelus leaves — he'll probably be needed to do a lot more and we could see his point totals jump from 50-60 to 70-80 or so.

IL dropped its top 10 — Boehm and Vardaro are in. Lyons, Zawada, and Cole are not. Not sure how Princeton went 8-7 with a 1st round exit with two top 10 players in Mackesy and Vardaro and then a swath of other top 50 guys in Pederson, Gianforcaro, Stevens, English, etc. Seems like that group as a whole is probably a bit overrated, otherwise they really screwed the pooch last year because that is championship caliber talent equal to or better than Duke/ND. I know English missed the end of the year, but sheesh. That's a disappointing result for having all those dudes.

Like anything associated with IL, it’s ranking inflation. Also, I believe it’s a forward look versus a backward look. As much as I like Vardaro, he’s not a top 10 player. Where were these players on the 2023 post season AA list? Chris Lyons not being on this top 50 list is just stupid but probably due to Yale slipping a little as a team because of course, if the team does well, the players are all better…..as for the Princeton exit. Lack of a productive zone offense costs them….not necessarily a lack of quality players.

If you aren’t pleased I got a Raymond/Fisher for Madalon/Hirsch swap for you to consider.

Nope. Just one of those things. That zone got PSU back in the game. It was a strange season. A ton of injuries but the bright side is that a lot of guys got valuable experience.

[coda]

I actually think Melendez at #42 or whatever is appropriate. From a pure *talent* perspective I think he's top 10-20 but because of the Hopkins offense/his role, he's not going to put massive point totals over the course of an entire season, and probably maxes out as a 3rd team AA. Angelus directs things from X and there's a crowd of shooters/finishers in Degnon, Collison, Grimes, etc., so he's not asked to carry the load. It will be interesting to see how he evolves in 2025 after Angelus leaves — he'll probably be needed to do a lot more and we could see his point totals jump from 50-60 to 70-80 or so.

IL dropped its top 10 — Boehm and Vardaro are in. Lyons, Zawada, and Cole are not. Not sure how Princeton went 8-7 with a 1st round exit with two top 10 players in Mackesy and Vardaro and then a swath of other top 50 guys in Pederson, Gianforcaro, Stevens, English, etc. Seems like that group as a whole is probably a bit overrated, otherwise they really screwed the pooch last year because that is championship caliber talent equal to or better than Duke/ND. I know English missed the end of the year, but sheesh. That's a disappointing result for having all those dudes.

Like anything associated with IL, it’s ranking inflation. Also, I believe it’s a forward look versus a backward look. As much as I like Vardaro, he’s not a top 10 player. Where were these players on the 2023 post season AA list? Chris Lyons not being on this top 50 list is just stupid but probably due to Yale slipping a little as a team because of course, if the team does well, the players are all better…..as for the Princeton exit. Lack of a productive zone offense costs them….not necessarily a lack of quality players.

Lyons not on the list is bad. How do you put Brandau top 10 and Lyons out? 74 pts to 70.. Lyons 42% vs 32% for Brandau. No problem saying Brandau is better, but the rankigns cant be that far apart

[Typical Lax Dad]

I actually think Melendez at #42 or whatever is appropriate. From a pure *talent* perspective I think he's top 10-20 but because of the Hopkins offense/his role, he's not going to put massive point totals over the course of an entire season, and probably maxes out as a 3rd team AA. Angelus directs things from X and there's a crowd of shooters/finishers in Degnon, Collison, Grimes, etc., so he's not asked to carry the load. It will be interesting to see how he evolves in 2025 after Angelus leaves — he'll probably be needed to do a lot more and we could see his point totals jump from 50-60 to 70-80 or so.

IL dropped its top 10 — Boehm and Vardaro are in. Lyons, Zawada, and Cole are not. Not sure how Princeton went 8-7 with a 1st round exit with two top 10 players in Mackesy and Vardaro and then a swath of other top 50 guys in Pederson, Gianforcaro, Stevens, English, etc. Seems like that group as a whole is probably a bit overrated, otherwise they really screwed the pooch last year because that is championship caliber talent equal to or better than Duke/ND. I know English missed the end of the year, but sheesh. That's a disappointing result for having all those dudes.

Like anything associated with IL, it’s ranking inflation. Also, I believe it’s a forward look versus a backward look. As much as I like Vardaro, he’s not a top 10 player. Where were these players on the 2023 post season AA list? Chris Lyons not being on this top 50 list is just stupid but probably due to Yale slipping a little as a team because of course, if the team does well, the players are all better…..as for the Princeton exit. Lack of a productive zone offense costs them….not necessarily a lack of quality players.

Lyons not on the list is bad.

It is shocking. He’s lethal.

[Chousnake]

I actually think Melendez at #42 or whatever is appropriate. From a pure *talent* perspective I think he's top 10-20 but because of the Hopkins offense/his role, he's not going to put massive point totals over the course of an entire season, and probably maxes out as a 3rd team AA. Angelus directs things from X and there's a crowd of shooters/finishers in Degnon, Collison, Grimes, etc., so he's not asked to carry the load. It will be interesting to see how he evolves in 2025 after Angelus leaves — he'll probably be needed to do a lot more and we could see his point totals jump from 50-60 to 70-80 or so.

IL dropped its top 10 — Boehm and Vardaro are in. Lyons, Zawada, and Cole are not. Not sure how Princeton went 8-7 with a 1st round exit with two top 10 players in Mackesy and Vardaro and then a swath of other top 50 guys in Pederson, Gianforcaro, Stevens, English, etc. Seems like that group as a whole is probably a bit overrated, otherwise they really screwed the pooch last year because that is championship caliber talent equal to or better than Duke/ND. I know English missed the end of the year, but sheesh. That's a disappointing result for having all those dudes.

Like anything associated with IL, it’s ranking inflation. Also, I believe it’s a forward look versus a backward look. As much as I like Vardaro, he’s not a top 10 player. Where were these players on the 2023 post season AA list? Chris Lyons not being on this top 50 list is just stupid but probably due to Yale slipping a little as a team because of course, if the team does well, the players are all better…..as for the Princeton exit. Lack of a productive zone offense costs them….not necessarily a lack of quality players.

Lyons not on the list is bad.

It is shocking. He’s lethal.

He's not in the ACC or B10 and is not a transfer. If he was playing a 5th year for a favored program, he'd be in the top 10.

[coda]

I actually think Melendez at #42 or whatever is appropriate. From a pure *talent* perspective I think he's top 10-20 but because of the Hopkins offense/his role, he's not going to put massive point totals over the course of an entire season, and probably maxes out as a 3rd team AA. Angelus directs things from X and there's a crowd of shooters/finishers in Degnon, Collison, Grimes, etc., so he's not asked to carry the load. It will be interesting to see how he evolves in 2025 after Angelus leaves — he'll probably be needed to do a lot more and we could see his point totals jump from 50-60 to 70-80 or so.

IL dropped its top 10 — Boehm and Vardaro are in. Lyons, Zawada, and Cole are not. Not sure how Princeton went 8-7 with a 1st round exit with two top 10 players in Mackesy and Vardaro and then a swath of other top 50 guys in Pederson, Gianforcaro, Stevens, English, etc. Seems like that group as a whole is probably a bit overrated, otherwise they really screwed the pooch last year because that is championship caliber talent equal to or better than Duke/ND. I know English missed the end of the year, but sheesh. That's a disappointing result for having all those dudes.

Like anything associated with IL, it’s ranking inflation. Also, I believe it’s a forward look versus a backward look. As much as I like Vardaro, he’s not a top 10 player. Where were these players on the 2023 post season AA list? Chris Lyons not being on this top 50 list is just stupid but probably due to Yale slipping a little as a team because of course, if the team does well, the players are all better…..as for the Princeton exit. Lack of a productive zone offense costs them….not necessarily a lack of quality players.

Lyons not on the list is bad.

It is shocking. He’s lethal.

He's not in the ACC or B10 and is not a transfer. If he was playing a 5th year for a favored program, he'd be in the top 10.

Ivy got a ton of respect. All these ranking are based on their play in the Ivy.. Ivy was just decimated by the portal. I think Brandau is over-rated, but the gap between his ranking and Lyons is unexplainable.

[Farfromgeneva]

I actually think Melendez at #42 or whatever is appropriate. From a pure *talent* perspective I think he's top 10-20 but because of the Hopkins offense/his role, he's not going to put massive point totals over the course of an entire season, and probably maxes out as a 3rd team AA. Angelus directs things from X and there's a crowd of shooters/finishers in Degnon, Collison, Grimes, etc., so he's not asked to carry the load. It will be interesting to see how he evolves in 2025 after Angelus leaves — he'll probably be needed to do a lot more and we could see his point totals jump from 50-60 to 70-80 or so.

IL dropped its top 10 — Boehm and Vardaro are in. Lyons, Zawada, and Cole are not. Not sure how Princeton went 8-7 with a 1st round exit with two top 10 players in Mackesy and Vardaro and then a swath of other top 50 guys in Pederson, Gianforcaro, Stevens, English, etc. Seems like that group as a whole is probably a bit overrated, otherwise they really screwed the pooch last year because that is championship caliber talent equal to or better than Duke/ND. I know English missed the end of the year, but sheesh. That's a disappointing result for having all those dudes.

Like anything associated with IL, it’s ranking inflation. Also, I believe it’s a forward look versus a backward look. As much as I like Vardaro, he’s not a top 10 player. Where were these players on the 2023 post season AA list? Chris Lyons not being on this top 50 list is just stupid but probably due to Yale slipping a little as a team because of course, if the team does well, the players are all better…..as for the Princeton exit. Lack of a productive zone offense costs them….not necessarily a lack of quality players.

Lyons not on the list is bad.

It is shocking. He’s lethal.

He's not in the ACC or B10 and is not a transfer. If he was playing a 5th year for a favored program, he'd be in the top 10.

Ivy got a ton of respect. All these ranking are based on their play in the Ivy.. Ivy was just decimated by the portal. I think Brandau is over-rated, but the gap between his ranking and Lyons is unexplainable.

By the time careers are over Lyons will have surpassed Brandau

[Chousnake]

When does the extra year of eligibility (6 years to play 4 rather than 5 years to play 4 ) end? By my calculation, the 2020-21 freshman Ivy League class would be the last group that lost a season because of Covid. So 2025 would be the final year of the Ivy 5th year post grad exodus. Is this accurate? The rest of the lax world played in 2021, so excepting unusual circumstances, 2021 freshmen outside the Ivies (current seniors) will have played 4 years after the 2024 season.

[Typical Lax Dad]

I actually think Melendez at #42 or whatever is appropriate. From a pure *talent* perspective I think he's top 10-20 but because of the Hopkins offense/his role, he's not going to put massive point totals over the course of an entire season, and probably maxes out as a 3rd team AA. Angelus directs things from X and there's a crowd of shooters/finishers in Degnon, Collison, Grimes, etc., so he's not asked to carry the load. It will be interesting to see how he evolves in 2025 after Angelus leaves — he'll probably be needed to do a lot more and we could see his point totals jump from 50-60 to 70-80 or so.

IL dropped its top 10 — Boehm and Vardaro are in. Lyons, Zawada, and Cole are not. Not sure how Princeton went 8-7 with a 1st round exit with two top 10 players in Mackesy and Vardaro and then a swath of other top 50 guys in Pederson, Gianforcaro, Stevens, English, etc. Seems like that group as a whole is probably a bit overrated, otherwise they really screwed the pooch last year because that is championship caliber talent equal to or better than Duke/ND. I know English missed the end of the year, but sheesh. That's a disappointing result for having all those dudes.

Like anything associated with IL, it’s ranking inflation. Also, I believe it’s a forward look versus a backward look. As much as I like Vardaro, he’s not a top 10 player. Where were these players on the 2023 post season AA list? Chris Lyons not being on this top 50 list is just stupid but probably due to Yale slipping a little as a team because of course, if the team does well, the players are all better…..as for the Princeton exit. Lack of a productive zone offense costs them….not necessarily a lack of quality players.

Lyons not on the list is bad.

It is shocking. He’s lethal.

He's not in the ACC or B10 and is not a transfer. If he was playing a 5th year for a favored program, he'd be in the top 10.

Ivy got a ton of respect. All these ranking are based on their play in the Ivy.. Ivy was just decimated by the portal. I think Brandau is over-rated, but the gap between his ranking and Lyons is unexplainable.

I like Brandau but like many things involving lacrosse, your reputation coming in can carry you a long way as well as past success. I will say, Brandau may have been game planned more so Lyons can get some easier opportunities. Being #1 on the opposing team’s scout is meaningful. It’s actually a very tough duo. Does anyone have two better?

[PicLax]

Looks like 6 goalies and 4 FOGOs on the list. 20% of the top 50 lacrosse players coming from these two positions seems high. Conversely, only 3 LSM and 3 SSDM, or 12% of the total, seems low.

Lot of love given to Duke and ND. Understandable given last year’s results. But still, that’s a lot of love…. Looks like JHU got a lot of love as well, especially for a team that didn’t play on Memorial Day weekend.

[coda]

I actually think Melendez at #42 or whatever is appropriate. From a pure *talent* perspective I think he's top 10-20 but because of the Hopkins offense/his role, he's not going to put massive point totals over the course of an entire season, and probably maxes out as a 3rd team AA. Angelus directs things from X and there's a crowd of shooters/finishers in Degnon, Collison, Grimes, etc., so he's not asked to carry the load. It will be interesting to see how he evolves in 2025 after Angelus leaves — he'll probably be needed to do a lot more and we could see his point totals jump from 50-60 to 70-80 or so.

IL dropped its top 10 — Boehm and Vardaro are in. Lyons, Zawada, and Cole are not. Not sure how Princeton went 8-7 with a 1st round exit with two top 10 players in Mackesy and Vardaro and then a swath of other top 50 guys in Pederson, Gianforcaro, Stevens, English, etc. Seems like that group as a whole is probably a bit overrated, otherwise they really screwed the pooch last year because that is championship caliber talent equal to or better than Duke/ND. I know English missed the end of the year, but sheesh. That's a disappointing result for having all those dudes.

Like anything associated with IL, it’s ranking inflation. Also, I believe it’s a forward look versus a backward look. As much as I like Vardaro, he’s not a top 10 player. Where were these players on the 2023 post season AA list? Chris Lyons not being on this top 50 list is just stupid but probably due to Yale slipping a little as a team because of course, if the team does well, the players are all better…..as for the Princeton exit. Lack of a productive zone offense costs them….not necessarily a lack of quality players.

Lyons not on the list is bad.

It is shocking. He’s lethal.

He's not in the ACC or B10 and is not a transfer. If he was playing a 5th year for a favored program, he'd be in the top 10.

Ivy got a ton of respect. All these ranking are based on their play in the Ivy.. Ivy was just decimated by the portal. I think Brandau is over-rated, but the gap between his ranking and Lyons is unexplainable.

I like Brandau but like many things involving lacrosse, your reputation coming in can carry you a long way as well as past success. I will say, Brandau may have been game planned more so Lyons can get some easier opportunities. Being #1 on the opposing team’s scout is meaningful. It’s actually a very tough duo. Does anyone have two better?

I think top 10 is high and based on playing for I think 2 decades. Lyons addition rally helped him. He used to fade into oblivion vs good teams. The pair makes it tough on match-ups now. I still think he is a very good player and deserves to be on the list. Probably above Lyons, I just dont think the gap is #51 to #9..

[Typical Lax Dad]

I actually think Melendez at #42 or whatever is appropriate. From a pure *talent* perspective I think he's top 10-20 but because of the Hopkins offense/his role, he's not going to put massive point totals over the course of an entire season, and probably maxes out as a 3rd team AA. Angelus directs things from X and there's a crowd of shooters/finishers in Degnon, Collison, Grimes, etc., so he's not asked to carry the load. It will be interesting to see how he evolves in 2025 after Angelus leaves — he'll probably be needed to do a lot more and we could see his point totals jump from 50-60 to 70-80 or so.

IL dropped its top 10 — Boehm and Vardaro are in. Lyons, Zawada, and Cole are not. Not sure how Princeton went 8-7 with a 1st round exit with two top 10 players in Mackesy and Vardaro and then a swath of other top 50 guys in Pederson, Gianforcaro, Stevens, English, etc. Seems like that group as a whole is probably a bit overrated, otherwise they really screwed the pooch last year because that is championship caliber talent equal to or better than Duke/ND. I know English missed the end of the year, but sheesh. That's a disappointing result for having all those dudes.

Like anything associated with IL, it’s ranking inflation. Also, I believe it’s a forward look versus a backward look. As much as I like Vardaro, he’s not a top 10 player. Where were these players on the 2023 post season AA list? Chris Lyons not being on this top 50 list is just stupid but probably due to Yale slipping a little as a team because of course, if the team does well, the players are all better…..as for the Princeton exit. Lack of a productive zone offense costs them….not necessarily a lack of quality players.

Lyons not on the list is bad.

It is shocking. He’s lethal.

He's not in the ACC or B10 and is not a transfer. If he was playing a 5th year for a favored program, he'd be in the top 10.

Ivy got a ton of respect. All these ranking are based on their play in the Ivy.. Ivy was just decimated by the portal. I think Brandau is over-rated, but the gap between his ranking and Lyons is unexplainable.

I like Brandau but like many things involving lacrosse, your reputation coming in can carry you a long way as well as past success. I will say, Brandau may have been game planned more so Lyons can get some easier opportunities. Being #1 on the opposing team’s scout is meaningful. It’s actually a very tough duo. Does anyone have two better?

I think top 10 is high and based on playing for I think 2 decades. Lyons addition rally helped him. He used to fade into oblivion vs good teams. The pair makes it tough on match-ups now. I still think he is a very good player and deserves to be on the list. Probably above Lyons, I just dont think the gap is #51 to #9..

I agree. Chris Lyons #51 at best? The writers must not have seen many Yale games over the past two seasons.

[coda]

Looks like 6 goalies and 4 FOGOs on the list. 20% of the top 50 lacrosse players coming from these two positions seems high. Conversely, only 3 LSM and 3 SSDM, or 12% of the total, seems low.

Lot of love given to Duke and ND. Understandable given last year’s results. But still, that’s a lot of love…. Looks like JHU got a lot of love as well, especially for a team that didn’t play on Memorial Day weekend.

Funny, you say that. Justin Weifeldt's absence is mystifying. He was only 65% from the X last year. That includes 12-20 vs NASO in the tournament

[Farfromgeneva]

I actually think Melendez at #42 or whatever is appropriate. From a pure *talent* perspective I think he's top 10-20 but because of the Hopkins offense/his role, he's not going to put massive point totals over the course of an entire season, and probably maxes out as a 3rd team AA. Angelus directs things from X and there's a crowd of shooters/finishers in Degnon, Collison, Grimes, etc., so he's not asked to carry the load. It will be interesting to see how he evolves in 2025 after Angelus leaves — he'll probably be needed to do a lot more and we could see his point totals jump from 50-60 to 70-80 or so.

IL dropped its top 10 — Boehm and Vardaro are in. Lyons, Zawada, and Cole are not. Not sure how Princeton went 8-7 with a 1st round exit with two top 10 players in Mackesy and Vardaro and then a swath of other top 50 guys in Pederson, Gianforcaro, Stevens, English, etc. Seems like that group as a whole is probably a bit overrated, otherwise they really screwed the pooch last year because that is championship caliber talent equal to or better than Duke/ND. I know English missed the end of the year, but sheesh. That's a disappointing result for having all those dudes.

Like anything associated with IL, it’s ranking inflation. Also, I believe it’s a forward look versus a backward look. As much as I like Vardaro, he’s not a top 10 player. Where were these players on the 2023 post season AA list? Chris Lyons not being on this top 50 list is just stupid but probably due to Yale slipping a little as a team because of course, if the team does well, the players are all better…..as for the Princeton exit. Lack of a productive zone offense costs them….not necessarily a lack of quality players.

Lyons not on the list is bad.

It is shocking. He’s lethal.

He's not in the ACC or B10 and is not a transfer. If he was playing a 5th year for a favored program, he'd be in the top 10.

Ivy got a ton of respect. All these ranking are based on their play in the Ivy.. Ivy was just decimated by the portal. I think Brandau is over-rated, but the gap between his ranking and Lyons is unexplainable.

I like Brandau but like many things involving lacrosse, your reputation coming in can carry you a long way as well as past success. I will say, Brandau may have been game planned more so Lyons can get some easier opportunities. Being #1 on the opposing team’s scout is meaningful. It’s actually a very tough duo. Does anyone have two better?

I think top 10 is high and based on playing for I think 2 decades. Lyons addition rally helped him. He used to fade into oblivion vs good teams. The pair makes it tough on match-ups now. I still think he is a very good player and deserves to be on the list. Probably above Lyons, I just dont think the gap is #51 to #9..

I agree. Chris Lyons #51 at best? The writers must not have seen many Yale games over the past two seasons.

Maybe they dinged him for that defense that cost my boy the fantasy championship last year…

[PulpExposure]

I like Brandau but like many things involving lacrosse, your reputation coming in can carry you a long way as well as past success. I will say, Brandau may have been game planned more so Lyons can get some easier opportunities. Being #1 on the opposing team’s scout is meaningful. It’s actually a very tough duo. Does anyone have two better?

The Kavanaughs in ND, Shellenberger and Cormier at Virginia, or O'Neill and McAdorey at Duke come to mind. With respect to the Duke and Virginia duos, it's mostly just because their #1s are just better than Brandau in my mind only.

[Typical Lax Dad]

I like Brandau but like many things involving lacrosse, your reputation coming in can carry you a long way as well as past success. I will say, Brandau may have been game planned more so Lyons can get some easier opportunities. Being #1 on the opposing team’s scout is meaningful. It’s actually a very tough duo. Does anyone have two better?

The Kavanaughs in ND, Shellenberger and Cormier at Virginia, or O'Neill and McAdorey at Duke come to mind. With respect to the Duke and Virginia duos, it's mostly just because their #1s are just better than Brandau in my mind only.

Duke & UVA. Shellenberger is my favorite player in college lacrosse.

[FannOLax]

I actually think Melendez at #42 or whatever is appropriate. From a pure *talent* perspective I think he's top 10-20 but because of the Hopkins offense/his role, he's not going to put massive point totals over the course of an entire season, and probably maxes out as a 3rd team AA. Angelus directs things from X and there's a crowd of shooters/finishers in Degnon, Collison, Grimes, etc., so he's not asked to carry the load. It will be interesting to see how he evolves in 2025 after Angelus leaves — he'll probably be needed to do a lot more and we could see his point totals jump from 50-60 to 70-80 or so.

IL dropped its top 10 — Boehm and Vardaro are in. Lyons, Zawada, and Cole are not. Not sure how Princeton went 8-7 with a 1st round exit with two top 10 players in Mackesy and Vardaro and then a swath of other top 50 guys in Pederson, Gianforcaro, Stevens, English, etc. Seems like that group as a whole is probably a bit overrated, otherwise they really screwed the pooch last year because that is championship caliber talent equal to or better than Duke/ND. I know English missed the end of the year, but sheesh. That's a disappointing result for having all those dudes.

Like anything associated with IL, it’s ranking inflation. Also, I believe it’s a forward look versus a backward look. As much as I like Vardaro, he’s not a top 10 player. Where were these players on the 2023 post season AA list? Chris Lyons not being on this top 50 list is just stupid but probably due to Yale slipping a little as a team because of course, if the team does well, the players are all better…..as for the Princeton exit. Lack of a productive zone offense costs them….not necessarily a lack of quality players.

Lyons not on the list is bad.

It is shocking. He’s lethal.

He's not in the ACC or B10 and is not a transfer. If he was playing a 5th year for a favored program, he'd be in the top 10.

Ivy got a ton of respect. All these ranking are based on their play in the Ivy.. Ivy was just decimated by the portal. I think Brandau is over-rated, but the gap between his ranking and Lyons is unexplainable.

I like Brandau but like many things involving lacrosse, your reputation coming in can carry you a long way as well as past success. I will say, Brandau may have been game planned more so Lyons can get some easier opportunities. Being #1 on the opposing team’s scout is meaningful. It’s actually a very tough duo. Does anyone have two better?

Yep, reputation. Brandau came from a big-name MIAA high school, probably with a 4- or 5-star IL rating; Lyons came essentially out of nowhere (no disrespect toward New Jersey intended, it's just that some good players from there fly under the radar in HS). Brandau and Lyons can both score, are both quite good; I think Lyons is more versatile. I was pleasantly surprised by how terrific Lyons looked in fall ball a month and a half ago. Of course, these off-season slide-show ranking thingies are just click-bait conversation starters.

[Typical Lax Dad]

I actually think Melendez at #42 or whatever is appropriate. From a pure *talent* perspective I think he's top 10-20 but because of the Hopkins offense/his role, he's not going to put massive point totals over the course of an entire season, and probably maxes out as a 3rd team AA. Angelus directs things from X and there's a crowd of shooters/finishers in Degnon, Collison, Grimes, etc., so he's not asked to carry the load. It will be interesting to see how he evolves in 2025 after Angelus leaves — he'll probably be needed to do a lot more and we could see his point totals jump from 50-60 to 70-80 or so.

IL dropped its top 10 — Boehm and Vardaro are in. Lyons, Zawada, and Cole are not. Not sure how Princeton went 8-7 with a 1st round exit with two top 10 players in Mackesy and Vardaro and then a swath of other top 50 guys in Pederson, Gianforcaro, Stevens, English, etc. Seems like that group as a whole is probably a bit overrated, otherwise they really screwed the pooch last year because that is championship caliber talent equal to or better than Duke/ND. I know English missed the end of the year, but sheesh. That's a disappointing result for having all those dudes.

Like anything associated with IL, it’s ranking inflation. Also, I believe it’s a forward look versus a backward look. As much as I like Vardaro, he’s not a top 10 player. Where were these players on the 2023 post season AA list? Chris Lyons not being on this top 50 list is just stupid but probably due to Yale slipping a little as a team because of course, if the team does well, the players are all better…..as for the Princeton exit. Lack of a productive zone offense costs them….not necessarily a lack of quality players.

Lyons not on the list is bad.

It is shocking. He’s lethal.

He's not in the ACC or B10 and is not a transfer. If he was playing a 5th year for a favored program, he'd be in the top 10.

Ivy got a ton of respect. All these ranking are based on their play in the Ivy.. Ivy was just decimated by the portal. I think Brandau is over-rated, but the gap between his ranking and Lyons is unexplainable.

I like Brandau but like many things involving lacrosse, your reputation coming in can carry you a long way as well as past success. I will say, Brandau may have been game planned more so Lyons can get some easier opportunities. Being #1 on the opposing team’s scout is meaningful. It’s actually a very tough duo. Does anyone have two better?

Yep, reputation. Brandau came from a big-name MIAA high school, probably with a 4- or 5-star IL rating; Lyons came essentially out of nowhere (no disrespect toward New Jersey intended, it's just that some good players from there fly under the radar in HS). Brandau and Lyons can both score, are both quite good; I think Lyons is more versatile. I was pleasantly surprised by how terrific Lyons looked in fall ball a month and a half ago. Of course, these off-season slide-show ranking thingies are just click-bait conversation starters.

Yes. Just click bait and not sure how much thought was given. No way Lyons is #51 at best. I like both players. Lyons is a load.

[Unknown Participant]

Looks like 6 goalies and 4 FOGOs on the list. 20% of the top 50 lacrosse players coming from these two positions seems high. Conversely, only 3 LSM and 3 SSDM, or 12% of the total, seems low.

Yeah, but maybe that is how the chips fall this year. Would probably need to track over multiple years to see the bias. On the other hand, probably the two most important players on any team.

[DoubleD]

Looks like 6 goalies and 4 FOGOs on the list. 20% of the top 50 lacrosse players coming from these two positions seems high. Conversely, only 3 LSM and 3 SSDM, or 12% of the total, seems low.

Yeah, but maybe that is how the chips fall this year. Would probably need to track over multiple years to see the bias. On the other hand, probably the two most important players on any team.

No Will Mark who was a 3rd team AA last yr? Strange idk