Transfer Portal 2025

[AreaLax]

According to IL UNC has another transfer Drew Scott, M, TCU Football (Gr.)

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


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Dan Arestia twitter
@RITMLAX senior attack/midfielder Dylan Bruno has entered the transfer portal for a grad season.

Bruno had 31 goals this year for the Tigers in their run to the DIII national championship game.

https://x.com/danarestia/status/1798796 ... EO2hFStaxg

[Wheels]

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.

Keep in most of these D2 & D3 guys who were stars at there level are good role players at these top schools. Likely secondary scorers. As you go to the next tier of these D2 & D3 guys they won’t impact the lower levels of D1 very much.

For sure. Outside of the D2 and D3 Top 20 programs, though, there are probably a lot of good players that would love to be even a role player on a min-tier D1 program. A couple of months ago, one of the national lacrosse guys tweeted about a freshman at Franciscan University in NY who scored 76 goals this year. Is a player like that interested in be maybe a role-plus guy at a Marist or Siena?

[1766]

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.

Much gets made of Rutgers’ strategy but they did go to the FF. Additionally, if you followed them this year or last, Most of the players making plays were home grown HS recruited talent.

The biggest issue with younger players in the program this year wasn’t transfers. It was injuries.

[HopFan16]

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

[jrn19]

They ran one midfield the entire year. Had to at least get more bodies in there even if they don’t have a guy like Conrad/Dox on the roster right now

[AreaLax]

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

He said in his last press conference that he would be looking at the transfer portal

[Wheels]

Much gets made of Rutgers’ strategy but they did go to the FF. Additionally, if you followed them this year or last, Most of the players making plays were home grown HS recruited talent.

The biggest issue with younger players in the program this year wasn’t transfers. It was injuries.

I did follow Rutgers this year. They weren't good. They don't have enough home grown players to make an impact. I know it's a chicken or egg situation up there. They're not getting high impact NJ HS players to stay in state, and they do continue to bring in a lot of transfers. You can point to injuries, but every program sustains injuries. Depth is an issue for RU for sure.

[norcalhop]

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

He said in his last press conference that he would be looking at the transfer portal

Surprised he didn't go ivy.

[molo]

Just Public Ivy

[wgdsr]

They ran one midfield the entire year. Had to at least get more bodies in there even if they don’t have a guy like Conrad/Dox on the roster right now

uva under tiffany or let's say tiffany/kirwan has done things less conventionally with the midfield (and often the attack) than most teams.
infrequently it was 3 guys on the 1st midfield. it was 1 or sometimes 2 guys, and rotating guys around them. dox (and even 1st year moore) took 85+% runs some years.
2nd line would at those times take minimal runs, as the 2nd line was actually 2 or 3 or 4 guys on the 1st.
now tiffany/casesse was more conventional. toward season's end things mixed some including terenzi taking more and late runs, but not a ton.
however... they definitely switched to an early offense even rope-stay-on offense as a big chunk of what they were doing, too. 1st mids as example got off like 170 shots (ballpark) and the rope unit over 65 or 70. and the 2nds 70 themselves. the rope unit was more successful than the 2nds.

as far as more bodies, am a fan so i hope it works out. they'll have some guys next year that some people equate to "talent" on the roster, including several incoming from recruiting. we shall see. couldn't tell you hoo the mvp on offense will be next year, just that this time it won't be a returning top 10 guy.

[Typical Lax Dad]

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

He said in his last press conference that he would be looking at the transfer portal

Surprised he didn't go ivy.

Generally an application deadline for transfers…..generally.

[Typical Lax Dad]

They ran one midfield the entire year. Had to at least get more bodies in there even if they don’t have a guy like Conrad/Dox on the roster right now

uva under tiffany or let's say tiffany/kirwan has done things less conventionally with the midfield (and often the attack) than most teams.
infrequently it was 3 guys on the 1st midfield. it was 1 or sometimes 2 guys, and rotating guys around them. dox (and even 1st year moore) took 85+% runs some years.
2nd line would at those times take minimal runs, as the 2nd line was actually 2 or 3 or 4 guys on the 1st.
now tiffany/casesse was more conventional. toward season's end things mixed some including terenzi taking more and late runs, but not a ton.
however... they definitely switched to an early offense even rope-stay-on offense as a big chunk of what they were doing, too. 1st mids as example got off like 170 shots (ballpark) and the rope unit over 65 or 70. and the 2nds 70 themselves. the rope unit was more successful than the 2nds.

as far as more bodies, am a fan so i hope it works out. they'll have some guys next year that some people equate to "talent" on the roster, including several incoming from recruiting. we shall see. couldn't tell you hoo the mvp on offense will be next year, just that this time it won't be a returning top 10 guy.

Johnny Hackett is a great get. That guy can play. Just made me think of Charlie Streep right now.

[molo]

Hope he’s not like Streep.

[keno in reno]

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

Add that to the ESPN Bobbleheads refrain next year to be repeated 3,000 times...."Jurassic Park, Kavanagh!, Talked to Scott Shellenberger in the Lobby, Balsamo transferred from Duke, Jurassic Park, He's from St. Anthony's, Sun Bowl MVP, Kavanagh!........"

[Typical Lax Dad]

Hope he’s not like Streep.

I also hope he isn’t injured. Streep was a good player. Hackett is a good player. UVA isn’t in the transfer market for scrubs. I actually like Hackett more than the other kid in this instance. He’s harder to stay in front of. Time will tell. I happened to see him a few times this season. Not surprised he “upgraded”. Under recruited out of the Midwest.

[HopFan16]

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

Incoming transfers to
Boston U: Sam Burns (M, Ohio State)
Canisius: Jeff Douglas (D, Ursinus)
Delaware: Cory Capri (A, Yale)
Duke: Aiden Blake (M, Cornell), Graham Blake (A, Harvard), Paul Weathington (SSDM, Princeton)
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)
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
Eric Malever, Maryland
Luke Grayum, Richmond
Dutch Furlong, Bucknell
Matthew Keegan, Binghamton
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
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

[GaitsRightHand]

According to IL UNC has another transfer Drew Scott, M, TCU Football (Gr.)

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

Drew Scott was a 2020 Ohio State Commit - not sure how he’ll be 4 years later but looks like he was pretty good at Highland Park.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OsOkcXWa6So

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/recruiti ... commitment

[VoiceofReason]

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.

[GaitsRightHand]

Matt Pepe (Bryant) to Sacred Heart

[Wheels]

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?