Transfer Portal 2025

[Abr2016]

AJ Hernandez to Maryland https://twitter.com/TerenceFoy/status/1 ... 6008312038

Any particular reason he didn't play this year? Is he a true close defender, or can he run LSM?

Didn’t play this year to get his grades up. He is definitely a close guy but could play LSM. I thought he was Navy’s best defenseman as a freshman. And that includes Bonitz.

[The Orfling]

AJ Hernandez to Maryland https://twitter.com/TerenceFoy/status/1 ... 6008312038

Any particular reason he didn't play this year? Is he a true close defender, or can he run LSM?

Didn’t play this year to get his grades up. He is definitely a close guy but could play LSM. I thought he was Navy’s best defenseman as a freshman. And that includes Bonitz.

Great player. He will be impactful for the Terps.

[cardinals6067]

Another NESCAC to BIG 10 Commit

Zack Goorno, SSDM from Bowdoin is heading to Maryland for his 5th Year. A Two-Time SSDM of the Year in D3. Great in Transition

[Wheels]

Another NESCAC to BIG 10 Commit

Zack Goorno, SSDM from Bowdoin is heading to Maryland for his 5th Year. A Two-Time SSDM of the Year in D3. Great in Transition

Does he have 1 or 2 years of eligibility? Played 3 games in 2020 and none in 2021.

[Farfromgeneva]

What are some opinions on best portal classes?

As a Terp fan, I feel like we found 2 starters at Midfield. I think Hopkins did well with the 2 SSDM’s/G/FO. I know ND only picked up the Harvard LSM but he’s a really nice player. UVA found a difference maker at Midfield.

Interested to see where Balsamo, Malever and Keegan land.

UNC belongs in the discussion, they probably got the top player overall in Gianforcaro. Who knows what they'll do with that talent, but they've added quite a bit.

I don't know much about Michigan's class, but they are bringing in a lot of guys. There is definitely a drop off in past years in terms of quantity, so curious to see how impactful these classes will be. Syracuse brought in five guys who saw meaningful minutes for them last year. UNC could see that next year, but nobody else looks particularly close to that number.

I think coaching staffs are going to come to the realization that if you are not in the final 4, you are wasting your roster development taking 4-5 transfer players a year.

This is absolutely an issue. If you take a step back and zoom out on the entirety of D1 lacrosse, the ACC and B1G have such resource advantages over the rest of the division. The Ivies, through their unparalleled alumni networks, could pretty easily not just close those resource gaps but actually pass the ACC and B1G in resource allocation for lacrosse. But that looks a little hit and miss right now.

What this means, IMO, is that schools need to have differentiate strategies to compete. We're in Moneyball territory. Rutgers has realized they can't recruit like Maryland, Penn State, and Hopkins in conference, so they've loaded up on portal players. It's worked in some years but appears to be fading as a strategy because the portal isn't as deep.

Coda is probably right that adding 3-5 portal guys for programs with realistic shots at the Final 4 is worth it. But if you're a typical, say, Big East program, that's probably not going to happen by loading up on portal guys. In football, you see this conveyor belt with transfers. Lower level programs lose their best to the level above them. Right now, that's not happening in lacrosse. But it probably could. If you're an A10 program, getting the best D2 or D3 transfers builds the depth and quality of your program.

Matt Kinnear from IL has told this story before. They brought Andy Shay in to talk about his program, and Andy told them that Yale really made a jump when he focused on the bottom of his roster. When he made the bottom of the roster stronger, the whole program got lifted up. Now, it's probably a little harder now that the portal has made the former black-box transfer market way more transparent because bottom of the roster guys at Top 15 programs might think about dropping down a rung in order to get more playing time. But if I'm running a MAAC or A10-type program, I'd be looking to see if I can get the best D2 and D3 transfers to build up the overall quality of the program.

Outside of probably 10 or so programs, portal hunting should be used differently. For most programs, bringing in transfers probably does stunt the growth of your roster. I brought up Rutgers earlier. Their portal strategy sure looks like it's hurt the development of their younger players.

Lot of smaller programs are tuition dependent so the long term risk of rolling in upperclass kids and losing underclass kids is a net negative institution wide. Unless they are larger universities or colleges well north of $1Bn endowment which excludes a lot of the MAAC, half the A10 though St Joes hasn't worried about that given that profile but I'd carve out Richmond (endowment) and UMAss on A10 from the rest in that regard. HPU does whatever it is they do there and Bart/SBU have to be sensitive to reputation with small enrollment and modest endowments (last data I saw on St Bonny was under $100MM and Hobart currently around $350MM maybe up to $400MM with over a $100MM coming in over the last year and will put up strong FR class numbers but has had shrinking enrollment for years from 2,200 to like 1,600 but this new class is closer to 600 than 500, over 50 from a nearby failed college we cherry picked staff and students from)

[AreaLax]

Another NESCAC to BIG 10 Commit

Zack Goorno, SSDM from Bowdoin is heading to Maryland for his 5th Year. A Two-Time SSDM of the Year in D3. Great in Transition

Does he have 1 or 2 years of eligibility? Played 3 games in 2020 and none in 2021.

Looks like he will have 1 year

[HopFan16]

Rutgers gets a Merrimack guy https://x.com/mattkinnear/status/1799065036000026647

[ChopMan23]

Rutgers gets a Merrimack guy https://x.com/mattkinnear/status/1799065036000026647

I'd imagine there are quite a few merrimack guys in the portal given what happened at the end of the year

[Powellfan22]

Rutgers gets a Merrimack guy https://x.com/mattkinnear/status/1799065036000026647

I'd imagine there are quite a few merrimack guys in the portal given what happened at the end of the year

16 according to Inside Lacrosse.

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... 2024/63595

[backerzone]

Wow, Balsamo to UVA: https://x.com/MChandik26/status/1798816531859812816

Lars must not have been thrilled with the midfield talent he was entering 2025 with

Balsamo family very close with the Millon family!

Plus, it reunited him with one of his best friends, Joey T.

Is Balsamo the first underclassmen to defect from Duke in the Danowski tenure? I know they have had some grad transfers out ins search of playing time but I can't think of any underclassmen.

[HopFan16]

Added a bunch

Incoming transfers to
Boston U: Sam Burns (M, Ohio State)
Canisius: Jeff Douglas (D, Ursinus)
Dartmouth: Will Stahl (M, Holy Cross)
Delaware: Cory Capri (A, Yale)
Duke: Aiden Blake (M, Cornell), Graham Blake (A, Harvard), Paul Weathington (SSDM, Princeton), Eric Malever (A, Maryland)
Georgetown: Fulton Bayman (A, Notre Dame)
High Point: Jeb Brenfleck (A, Penn State)
Hofstra: Jon Singer (G, Ursinus)
Jacksonville: Drew Kessenich (M, Detroit Mercy), Dom Zingo (D, Lynchburg)
Johns Hopkins: Jack Monfort (SSDM, Yale), John McKee (FO, Dickinson), Patrick Hackler (M, Yale), Luke Staudt (G, Loyola)
Maryland: Noah Armitage (M, Stony Brook), Bryce Ford (A, Fairfield), AJ Hernandez (D, Navy), Zack Goorno (SSDM, Bowdoin), Matthew Keegan (A, Binghamton)
Michigan: Pace Billings (LSM, Princeton), Lukas Stanat (M, Princeton), Will Byrne (A, Bowdoin), DJ Dixon (M, Wesleyan)
Mount St. Mary's: Nathan Committee (D, Bellarmine)
NJIT: Russ Maher (M, Johns Hopkins), Dylan Sebastian (A, Hofstra)
North Carolina: Michael Gianforcaro (G, Princeton), Spencer Wirtheim (M, Cornell), Nick Dupuis (A, Stony Brook), Andrew O'Berry (SSDM, Harvard), Drew Scott (M, TCU football)
Notre Dame: Greg Campisi (LSM, Harvard)
Ohio State: Ryan Donnery (M, Quinnipiac)
Penn State: Jack Aimone (M, Rutgers)
Providence: Dan Donahue (G, Union)
Rutgers: Joseph Juengerkes (SSDM, Princeton), Ethan Barnard (FO, Bowdoin), Kasey Mongillo (M, Merrimack)
Saint Joseph's: Keaton Zavitz (M, Ohio State)
Sacred Heart: Matt Pepe (A, Bryant)
Stony Brook: Colin Reilly (M, North Carolina)
Syracuse: Mike Grace (D, RIT)
UMass: Gavin Begonia (A, Ohio State)
Villanova: Tyler Sandoval (FO, Princeton)
Virginia: Johnny Hackett (M, Bryant), Charles Balsamo (A/M, Duke)

*Notable* players in portal:
Attack
Luke Grayum, Richmond
Dutch Furlong, Bucknell
Chris Patterson, Hobart
Mason Bregman, UMass
Blake Behlen, Stony Brook
Matt Caputo, Ohio State
Greyson Vorgang, Denver
Koleton Marquis, Johns Hopkins

Midfield
Trace Hogan, Merrimack
Brian Russell, Merrimack
Tommy Barnds, Princeton
Chris Cusolito, Providence
Shane O'Leary, UMass
Vinnie Trujillo, Syracuse
Nick Rizzo, High Point
Jack Dowd, Salisbury
Luke Nestor, Salisbury
Trevor Douglas, Quinnipiac
Jack Dougherty, Stony Brook
Parker Yearego, Cleveland State

Defense
Colin Hart, Brown
Mitch Dunham, Mount St. Mary's
Aiden Bodonyi, Ohio State
Brooks Rhine, Hobart
Owen Quinn, UMass

Goalie
Jamison MacLachlan, Stony Brook
Connor Theriault, Brown
Jack VanValkenburgh, Albany
Dylan Renner, Adelphi
Matthew Torrey, Air Force

FO
Nick Ramsey, Yale
Caleb Hammett, UMass
Rocco Mareno, Towson

[Laxguy703]

“ .@SalisburyMLAX midfielder Luke Nestor has entered the portal as a grad transfer, per a source. The 6'2, 205-pound lefty was a Second Team All-American in '24, racking up 59 goals and 16 assists for his hometown Gulls. Nestor was named HM AA in 2023, breaking out for 49G/14A. “ per Ty Xanders.

Kid is going to make some D1 team very happy. Elite dodger/shooter who can abuse the SSDM matchup.

I wonder if him and Dowd stay together and head to the same school.

[HopFan16]

Binghamton's Matthew Keegan to Maryland https://x.com/MChandik26/status/1799096144964055061

Tills goin ham in the portal this year

[GaitsRightHand]

Binghamton's Matthew Keegan to Maryland https://x.com/MChandik26/status/1799096144964055061

Tills goin ham in the portal this year

Wow. Big pick up. This guy can shoot it.

[coda]

Binghamton's Matthew Keegan to Maryland https://x.com/MChandik26/status/1799096144964055061

Tills goin ham in the portal this year

Wow. Big pick up. This guy can shoot it.

HE can ride. 9 CTs from the attack spot. Tied for the team lead.

[HopFan16]

Malever to...

...


...


...Duke


https://x.com/tyxanders/status/1799111608729518351

[Bmk2222]

I’m going to hope that’s a degree move…..

[Wheels]

Malever to...

...


...


...Duke


https://x.com/tyxanders/status/1799111608729518351

Not surprised. Thought he'd end up at UNC. Duke needed someone at X, which is where Malever feels most comfortable.

[GaitsRightHand]

Binghamton's Matthew Keegan to Maryland https://x.com/MChandik26/status/1799096144964055061

Tills goin ham in the portal this year

Wow. Big pick up. This guy can shoot it.

HE can ride. 9 CTs from the attack spot. Tied for the team lead.

You think he'll play attack?

[DoubleD]

But if I'm running a MAAC or A10-type program, I'd be looking to see if I can get the best D2 and D3 transfers to build up the overall quality of the program.

I think you're correct in theory but in practice the best D2 and D3 players (Charlie Bertrand, Ronan Jacoby, Will Helm, Jack Boyden, Mason Kohn as examples) are transferring to top D1 programs not to the MAAC or A10. Nevertheless it would be a sound roster improvement strategy for mid-major programs to focus on landing top 40 quality D2 and D3 transfers.

You named 5 guys who went to top programs. Most don't go to top schools and some that do they can't handle the jump. Also MAAC and A10 is a big difference in talent too. A10 is a higher level of lacrosse then the MAAC. Top D2 and D3 kids can play in the MAAC but most can't be top players in all other D1 conferences. A select few can but most can't it's a huge difference in talent. Charlie Betrand is a PLL player and not ur normal top D2 player.