Recruiting

[LiveLaxLove]

Just had to relay some things that I have heard from the club world (not UNC/BC/MD focused)

Denver is quietly building one of their best recruiting classes ever. The kid from Massachusetts, the GK from Denver, and the middie from long island are great talents that will have continue to keep them at the top of the rankings. Kids see that fun that Liza and crew are having out there and I think they are here to stay as a top 10 contender.

Michigan has finished 2nd fiddle on quite a few top kids, but just committed a goalie that might be the best in class. That coaching staff is fantastic and many think the kid from VA they took is the real deal.

Clemson coming into Maryland grabbing the top goalie and top field player definitely is one of the bigger stories. Quietly building a legit team down there. The fact that Spallina decision has dragged out this long with all the built in advantages that Cuse had to land her is pretty wild to think about.

JMU is killing it by staying true to the type of kid that they want.

Dartmouth is the class of the Ivy. Took a great goalie out of Colorado and landed a legit top 5 attacker in the past few days. With the collection of talent they have there, it will be fun to see them and Penn battle it out in the future. Losing the stud middie from Primetime who was a legacy at the Princeton shows that recruiting is going different down there.

nailed all points. I would add CUSE and ND as well to the list of winners. On paper this is already CUSE's best class ever. Surpasing even last year's loaded class. Always thought they would do well but they have surpassed my expectations. girls want to play for Kayla. If they land spalinna, honestly i can see them vaulting BC as second in the ACC in the future and that elusive championship may not be so far away.

Notre Dame has been extremely impressive. Granted they have always been a destination for top talent but never been able to put it together. Could that change? maybe.

In the ACC it's a which came first the chicken or the egg type situation because even though your team is getting better with these recruits..so is everyone else..so yes teams are getting better but that also means it'll become harder to win

Your point brings up a good question...
Out of all the ACC teams, who has recruited the best and performed the least?

ND for sure tops the list. There was a time ND was beating out top schools for recruits. Andie Aldave and Kasey Choma come to mind. Fantastic tewaaraton caliber players that never reached their full potential because of poor coaching. Every now and then the talent would shine through but never consistently.

Duke is second. I think Duke holds the record for the number of consecutive years with a top 10 recruiting class since like 2006 or something like that. Long before BC and UNC and even CUSE got good Duke was out recruiting them all. Need i say more? says all you need to know.

UVA gets an honorable mention. They don't land elite talent like Duke and ND but they have loaded up on Good, solid talent for years. On par with peer schools like JMU and SB. Yet both of those programs have surpassed UVA. That may change with the new coach but it just feels like they won't happen anytime soon

Interesting assessment.

So flipping it, who has accomplished more with less talent?

[jff97]

I agree with you Jff97. That’s why missing on Emma P. was a blow. The truth is it’s a fallacy. Maryland is just as good a school as UNC and better than Clemson. UNC doesn’t even have engineering as a major.

I have to disagree. At least in my part of New England, most girls who play lacrosse have UNC on their list of dream schools and you see UNC and BC lacrosse tees and sweatshirts all the time at practices. I asked my own teen which of the top-30 schools she would be interested in if she magically found herself the top ranked recruit in her class - UNC was on her short list, Maryland was not. Girls from our club program fly down to go to UNC prospect days, even if realistically they're not likely to be on the coaches' radar, and that doesn't happen as much with Maryland. I don't know why there's such a love of UNC lacrosse among girls up here but it's a definite thing and it starts from a young age.

Objectively speaking, UNC is ranked #4 among public universities (#22 overall) and Maryland is #19 (#46 overall) in the latest US News & World Report rankings.

As for engineering, it's true that UNC only offers one engineering major (biomedical, joint with NC State) - but that's not really going to be a showstopper for most highly-sought recruits. Aside from Army and Navy, there are few or no engineering majors on upper tier D1 women's lacrosse rosters, period.

Also MD takes primarily MD girls, with a few from NJ and NY. There’s no fan base outside of MD. No older girls from your club who went to MD to play. The younger girls don’t really know MD. And MD isn’t a hot out of state public (like Clemson or Penn State). So if their MD pipeline is drying up, they’d be wise to build their brand outside the state.

Not sure if this is intentional or not, but the 2024 and 2025 class have a lot less in-state kids than in previous years. Just 3 out of 10 commits in the 2024 class are from MD, and only 2 out of 8 in the 2025 class.

[NULax2]

Interesting assessment.

So flipping it, who has accomplished more with less talent?
[/quote]

That’s easy. KAH

1. Koester twins (Ashley and Courtney Koester) never played lacrosse to all American in 4 years. This still blows my mind.

https://www.chicagomag.com/chicago-maga ... o-success/

2. #27 ranked recruit in her class, Isabelle Rae Scane to Tewaaraton Award Winner

3. Most recently, IL 4 star recruit, Madison Taylor to Big 10 Freshmen of the Year.

[Womenslaxxfan]

Just had to relay some things that I have heard from the club world (not UNC/BC/MD focused)

Denver is quietly building one of their best recruiting classes ever. The kid from Massachusetts, the GK from Denver, and the middie from long island are great talents that will have continue to keep them at the top of the rankings. Kids see that fun that Liza and crew are having out there and I think they are here to stay as a top 10 contender.

Michigan has finished 2nd fiddle on quite a few top kids, but just committed a goalie that might be the best in class. That coaching staff is fantastic and many think the kid from VA they took is the real deal.

Clemson coming into Maryland grabbing the top goalie and top field player definitely is one of the bigger stories. Quietly building a legit team down there. The fact that Spallina decision has dragged out this long with all the built in advantages that Cuse had to land her is pretty wild to think about.

JMU is killing it by staying true to the type of kid that they want.

Dartmouth is the class of the Ivy. Took a great goalie out of Colorado and landed a legit top 5 attacker in the past few days. With the collection of talent they have there, it will be fun to see them and Penn battle it out in the future. Losing the stud middie from Primetime who was a legacy at the Princeton shows that recruiting is going different down there.

nailed all points. I would add CUSE and ND as well to the list of winners. On paper this is already CUSE's best class ever. Surpasing even last year's loaded class. Always thought they would do well but they have surpassed my expectations. girls want to play for Kayla. If they land spalinna, honestly i can see them vaulting BC as second in the ACC in the future and that elusive championship may not be so far away.

Notre Dame has been extremely impressive. Granted they have always been a destination for top talent but never been able to put it together. Could that change? maybe.

In the ACC it's a which came first the chicken or the egg type situation because even though your team is getting better with these recruits..so is everyone else..so yes teams are getting better but that also means it'll become harder to win

Your point brings up a good question...
Out of all the ACC teams, who has recruited the best and performed the least?

ND for sure tops the list. There was a time ND was beating out top schools for recruits. Andie Aldave and Kasey Choma come to mind. Fantastic tewaaraton caliber players that never reached their full potential because of poor coaching. Every now and then the talent would shine through but never consistently.

Duke is second. I think Duke holds the record for the number of consecutive years with a top 10 recruiting class since like 2006 or something like that. Long before BC and UNC and even CUSE got good Duke was out recruiting them all. Need i say more? says all you need to know.

UVA gets an honorable mention. They don't land elite talent like Duke and ND but they have loaded up on Good, solid talent for years. On par with peer schools like JMU and SB. Yet both of those programs have surpassed UVA. That may change with the new coach but it just feels like they won't happen anytime soon

Does anyone know if the new UVA coach from Towson will continue a similar style as Myers, e.g. up tempo small ball? Or will she go to a more typical ACC style build around more physical attackers.

I don’t even know what this means? What’s up tempo small ball? Ashlyn McGovern and Rachel Clark were two of the most physical and successful attackers in the acc last year.
Tyrell, medgid, wurzberger, Casey, wolack, ahern all smaller than Clark and McGovern.

[Stix]

Can we stop with this narrative that Northwestern coach doesn't want the top recruits?

She just misses on them a lot.

[NULax2]

Can we stop with this narrative that Northwestern coach doesn't want the top recruits?

She just misses on them a lot.

I guess she gets enough for 8 nattys

Or maybe she’s a better evaluator of recruits or is able to develop them better.

[8meterRip]

Dad of a 2025 recruit, new to the forum. This is the only place I've found with deep knowledge of D1 WLAX.
Appreciate everyone sharing their inside laxer perspective, it's been very helpful!

Current thoughts and future outlook on the Ivies, specifically Yale - Brown - Dartmouth?

[NULax2]

Dad of a 2025 recruit, new to the forum. This is the only place I've found with deep knowledge of D1 WLAX.
Appreciate everyone sharing their inside laxer perspective, it's been very helpful!

Current thoughts and future outlook on the Ivies, specifically Yale - Brown - Dartmouth?

Three young up-and-coming coaches. Can’t really go wrong with any of them. Best of luck.

[8meterRip]

Dad of a 2025 recruit, new to the forum. This is the only place I've found with deep knowledge of D1 WLAX.
Appreciate everyone sharing their inside laxer perspective, it's been very helpful!

Current thoughts and future outlook on the Ivies, specifically Yale - Brown - Dartmouth?

Three young up-and-coming coaches. Can’t really go wrong with any of them. Best of luck.

Agreed and thanks so much NULax! That's what is making the tea leaves so hard to read! On paper they are all trending in the
right direction but thats why I'm asking the group, just trying to peel the onion back a few layers and see if anything noteworthy turns up.

[watcherinthewoods]

Dad of a 2025 recruit, new to the forum. This is the only place I've found with deep knowledge of D1 WLAX.
Appreciate everyone sharing their inside laxer perspective, it's been very helpful!

Current thoughts and future outlook on the Ivies, specifically Yale - Brown - Dartmouth?

Three young up-and-coming coaches. Can’t really go wrong with any of them. Best of luck.

Agreed and thanks so much NULax! That's what is making the tea leaves so hard to read! On paper they are all trending in the
right direction but thats why I'm asking the group, just trying to peel the onion back a few layers and see if anything noteworthy turns up.

Not sure I would describe Yale coach as “young and up and coming”. She did fight through some significant culture issues and has some momentum now. Dowd has a great track record as an assistant, but unproven as a HC (I am ignoring Oregon) and will have to adjust to the ivies. Alex frank is “young and up and coming”.

The three schools could not be more different in culture and atmosphere. Good luck to your daughter in finding the right fit

[Womenslaxxfan]

Dad of a 2025 recruit, new to the forum. This is the only place I've found with deep knowledge of D1 WLAX.
Appreciate everyone sharing their inside laxer perspective, it's been very helpful!

Current thoughts and future outlook on the Ivies, specifically Yale - Brown - Dartmouth?

Three young up-and-coming coaches. Can’t really go wrong with any of them. Best of luck.

Agreed and thanks so much NULax! That's what is making the tea leaves so hard to read! On paper they are all trending in the
right direction but thats why I'm asking the group, just trying to peel the onion back a few layers and see if anything noteworthy turns up.

My two cents worth— choose the college first. Dartmouth very different vibe than yale or brown. Rural vs urban.
Yale is probably a nose in front of Dartmouth and Brown in terms of degree, reputation and alumni network. Yale program has also been a cut above Dartmouth and brown over past 5 years. But new coaches may change that dynamic.
If it were my daughter, I’d ask her “do you like Hanover or new haven/providence”? And if she says “city”, I’d recommend Yale based on history.

Good luck!!!

[ultravisitor]

Can we stop with this narrative that Northwestern coach doesn't want the top recruits?

She just misses on them a lot.

At the end of the day, she has more national championship hardware than any other active coach, so who's the one who missed?

[Kleizaster]

Can we stop with this narrative that Northwestern coach doesn't want the top recruits?

She just misses on them a lot.

I don't think that matters to NW. atleast not right now. She's a keen eyed talent evaluator and can get the most out of her players. She's more than happy with the 1 or 2 star players she gets and knows how to put the right system and players around them. Is it sustainable in a world of changing landscapes and emerging programs? remains to be seen. but right now it works and i'm sure she'll pivot as needed if that time comes.

[Relax77]

One way to look at this is if you are right about 2 “5star”players and also right about the ones that don’t have name rec but fit into your system, you don’t need 8 star players that you’ll be right about half of them. I feel half of UNCs recruit class will be playing somewhere else by junior yeAr with the portal being so popular.

[Womenslaxxfan]

One way to look at this is if you are right about 2 “5star”players and also right about the ones that don’t have name rec but fit into your system, you don’t need 8 star players that you’ll be right about half of them. I feel half of UNCs recruit class will be playing somewhere else by junior yeAr with the portal being so popular.

I’m curious why you think that. Because these top ranked recruits expect to play, and when half of them don’t, they will decide to leave chapel hill to play elsewhere?
I don’t buy that. SOME will. But most will stay put. For all the talk of the portal and NIL blah blah blah, 90 percent of all players don’t transfer. They like their school, their friends, their teammates, etc. half of these “top recruits” don’t develop into players who actually deserve field time, and the vast majority of them know it when it happens. Their parents are more upset than they are….
Some small number of formerly high profile players who feel they got a raw deal and whose parents are chirping in their ears will test the portal. The vast majority will stay put, graduate, and get on with their lives!

[forthelaxofit]

Can we stop with this narrative that Northwestern coach doesn't want the top recruits?

She just misses on them a lot.

I don't think that matters to NW. atleast not right now. She's a keen eyed talent evaluator and can get the most out of her players. She's more than happy with the 1 or 2 star players she gets and knows how to put the right system and players around them. Is it sustainable in a world of changing landscapes and emerging programs? remains to be seen. but right now it works and i'm sure she'll pivot as needed if that time comes.

Recruiting is still obviously important to build a team, but the transfer portal has dramatically changed the landscape. Before, you had to be right in recruiting to win the national championship and players had to be home grown and developed. Now you build a quality team and then run to the portal to put you over the hump. For some reason the NU, BC, and UNC fans take offense to that. Tell you they would be as dominant without the transfers and that unproven underclassmen would have won the day for them. Significantly discounting the leadership and performance under pressure experience. (anyone could score that goal tied in the 4th or make that crucial save). Big maybe. But fact remains last 3 National Champions did it with MAJOR portal transfers – North, Hall, Aldave, Geiersbach, Laliberty, Rhatigan. BC, NU and Denver all VERY active in the portal this summer. So while you still need to recruit and develop top talent, in the last 3 years you don’t get there on your recruits alone and the portal allows you to cover on misses on the recruits you had in the past.

[Dasher]

The portal is changing all of college sports and not for the better for HS players. For example Colorado Coach Sanders, whose success is drawing massive attention, has pushed an instant rebuilding strategy. He calls it his 40-40-20 formula. His goal, he said, is to recruit a team with 40% undergraduate transfers, 40% graduate transfers and 20% from high schools. I can't find the link but i believe he only offered 4 scholarships to HS players on his 85 man roster. Recruiting athletes who have already made the transition to the college game, whose maturity at 21-22 vs an 18 yr old is staggering is a no brainer. Other sports will follow this trend, especially with coaches pressured to win now.

[WLaxdad]

The portal is changing all of college sports and not for the better for HS players. For example Coach Prime at Colorado has Sanders, whose success is drawing massive attention, has pushed an instant rebuilding strategy. He calls it his 40-40-20 formula. His goal, he said, is to recruit a team with 40% undergraduate transfers, 40% graduate transfers and 20% from high schools. I cant find the link but i believe he only offered 4 scholarships to HS players on his 85 man roster. Watching athletes who have already made the transition to the college game, whose maturity at 21-22 vs an 18 yr old is staggering and a no brainer when recruiting. Other sports will follow this trend, especially with coaches pressured to a win now.

Agree, but the coach prime way might not look so good after they play some teams with a pulse.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

The portal is changing all of college sports and not for the better for HS players. For example Coach Prime at Colorado has Sanders, whose success is drawing massive attention, has pushed an instant rebuilding strategy. He calls it his 40-40-20 formula. His goal, he said, is to recruit a team with 40% undergraduate transfers, 40% graduate transfers and 20% from high schools. I cant find the link but i believe he only offered 4 scholarships to HS players on his 85 man roster. Watching athletes who have already made the transition to the college game, whose maturity at 21-22 vs an 18 yr old is staggering and a no brainer when recruiting. Other sports will follow this trend, especially with coaches pressured to a win now.

Agree, but the coach prime way might not look so good after they play some teams with a pulse.

Agreed! That's what I'm waiting for. WAY too much hype generated for a first time/first year head coach. Let him earn his accolades like everyone else.

[Womenslaxxfan]

The portal is changing all of college sports and not for the better for HS players. For example Coach Prime at Colorado has Sanders, whose success is drawing massive attention, has pushed an instant rebuilding strategy. He calls it his 40-40-20 formula. His goal, he said, is to recruit a team with 40% undergraduate transfers, 40% graduate transfers and 20% from high schools. I cant find the link but i believe he only offered 4 scholarships to HS players on his 85 man roster. Watching athletes who have already made the transition to the college game, whose maturity at 21-22 vs an 18 yr old is staggering and a no brainer when recruiting. Other sports will follow this trend, especially with coaches pressured to a win now.

Agree, but the coach prime way might not look so good after they play some teams with a pulse.

Football and women’s lacrosse are completely different and will remain so forever. I know there are posters on this website who think differently, but they are wrong.

The demographic and aspirations of the athletes are very different. And women’s lax will never generate any real money on its own. No boosters, because women don’t donate money to their schools or as boosters at anywhere near the same rate that men do.
I love women’s lax. But it has more iI common with squash than it does football