Analyzing The Quarterfinalists' Incoming Classes: Johns Hopkins

The program with the most NCAA men's lacrosse championships, Johns Hopkins, fell just short of making its first trip to the Final Four since 2015, suffering an overtime loss at the hands of Virginia on Sunday afternoon. As the Blue Jays look to make it back to championship weekend in 2025, let's look at their incoming class, their biggest needs, and who could fill those roles as freshmen.   There's no doubt that the Blue Jays' roster will look rather different next year. Five of JHU's top seven point-getters are gone, including starting attackmen Garrett Degnon and Jacob Angelus, who combined for 385 career points. The Jays also graduate the program's all-time leader in caused turnovers in close defender Beaudan Szuluk, All-American goalie Chayse Ierlan, No. 2 face-off man Tyler Dunn, and their top four short stick d-middies. That's all to say that there will be a lot of players stepping into significant roles in 2025, including several underclassmen. Fortunately, the Blue Jays have recruited at an exceptional level as of late, and while the rising sophomore class looks ready to step up, a handful of freshmen appear to be poised to play right away to address the program's losses to graduation. Given how many regular contributors are set to move on, the Jays need a boost out of the midfield, though they'll get a jolt with Brooks English's return from injury after the rising sophomore went down four games into the 2024 season. Projecting the starting lineup, attackman Russell Melendez has been approved to get an extra year, and Scott Smith has applied for a hardship waiver, having missed most of his freshman year due to injury. Expect rising sophomores Hunter Chauvette and Jimmy Ayers to bump down to attack after posting 14g/1a and 6g/2a, respectively, primarily running out of the box. Georgetown Prep (Md.) midfielder Ciaran McCleary is the freshman most likely to see significant minutes at offensive midfield in 2025, and I'd imagine that he'll be a candidate to run on the second line at the very least. The fleet-footed lefty was arguably the most dominant player in the DMV as a senior and regularly put on a show. His first step is elite, and his shot on the run is outstanding, making him a really tough cover, even for top LSMs. His senior year highlight tape just dropped and gives a clear picture of the kind of player the Blue Jays are getting.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXGVDqkVj5E </div></figure>   A bigger need, however, is at the all-important SSDM position. No one is making championship weekend without at least three or four impactful d-middies, and the Blue Jays are set to graduate five shorties that saw regular minutes in 2024. My guess is that Pete Milliman will look to bolster that unit with an addition or two out of the transfer portal, but there's also a lot to like about incoming freshmen Reece DiCicco and Carmelo Pace. DiCicco, a left-handed Canadian and former Penn verbal, is coming off another stellar year helping the Big Red to a high school national championship. He's tough, highly athletic, and highly skilled, giving opposing middies fits and able to show off his offensive ability and pure speed in transition. Getting minutes as a freshman d-middie in the Big 10 isn't easy, but DiCicco looks capable of doing just that. Out of necessity, Long Island native Carmelo Pace is another possibility. Initially targeted by Hopkins before he chose Army, Pace has always embraced his role and has the mindset to carry over his sucess from high school to the college level. So far this season, Pace has 22 goals and 17 assists for the Bulls, so he's able to contribute in fast break scenarios as well. There's plenty more help coming at the midfield beyond McCleary, DiCicco, and Pace. Shoreham-Wading River (N.Y.) midfielder Liam Gregorek, who flipped from Navy, is as old school as it gets in terms of how many roles he's able to play. During his career, he's taken face-offs and played both offensive and defensive midfield. There's very little that he can't do on a lacrosse field, so I'll be intrigued to see how he's used once he arrives at Homewood Field. I'm also a big fan of Lexington (Mass.) midfielder Sean Crogan, the younger brother of Georgetown's Patrick Crogan. Their skill sets are very similar. Quite frankly, I haven't seen many players that have been able to match the energy and competitive edge of a Crogan. Sean isn't the biggest, but he's always one of the toughest and most athletic players on the field. It wouldn't surprise me to see him work his way into the Blue Jays' midfield rotation. After another strong year, Hotchkiss (Conn.) midfielder Liam Burke is my sleeper, and even if he doesn't get time early on in his career, I see him developing into a contributor at some point during his career.   Elsewhere in New England, Loomis Chaffee (Conn.) face-off specialist and Long Island product Joe Hobot has become one of the Class of 2024's very best at his position. He's hard-nosed, technical, and relentless, and has not only gotten the best of some highly acclaimed face-off men on the schedule but has put the ball in the back of the net time after time. He looks every bit of someone who could slide into a role as the Blue Jays' No. 2 face-off option before seizing a much larger role upon the graduation of rising senior Logan Callahan.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Johns Hopkins' Class of 2024 </h2>   Midfielder Liam Burke of Hotchkiss (Conn.) / Predators   Goalie Andrew Cook of Torrey Pines (Calif.) / West Coast Starz   Midfielder Sean Crogan of Lexington (Mass.) / Laxachusetts   SSDM Reece DiCicco of Lawrenceville (N.J.) / Edge   Face-off specialist Joe Hobot of Loomis Chaffee (Conn.) / Annapolis Hawks   LSM Tyler Eye of Lawrenceville (N.J.) / Legacy   Midfielder Liam Gregorek of Shoreham-Wading River (N.Y.) / Team 91 LI   Defenseman Graham Kaestner of Sacred Heart Prep (Calif.) / West Coast Starz, ADVNC   Midfielder Ciaran McCleary of Georgetown Prep (Md.) / Next Level    SSDM Carmelo Pace of Smithtown West (N.Y.) / Legacy   Defenseman Luke Stickler of Loyola (Calif.) / Mad Dog West

The program with the most NCAA men's lacrosse championships, Johns Hopkins, fell just short of making its first trip to the Final Four since 2015, suffering an overtime loss at the hands of Virginia on Sunday afternoon.

As the Blue Jays look to make it back to championship weekend in 2025, let's look at their incoming class, their biggest needs, and who could fill those roles as freshmen.