First off, happy Christmas Eve to all 11 Dubbers! Since it has been a while, I had the itch to post some lacrosse content. So, here we go.
The story of transfers and how programs approach them, especially these days, is fascinating. There's a good deal of thought that transfers must be damaged goods, as generally a player is leaving a pretty good situation (academically and athletically) for reasons that are generally selfish.
Please note, I am not saying that perception is true, just that this is a pervasive perception amongst college coaches. With the advent of the new eligibility year, however, the transfer market is going to be rife with talent for a variety of reasons. And boy howdy, is there likely to be some serious talent available.
The question, naturally, is how will Ohio State use the portal, if at all? For that answer, we can take a look at past performance and the current roster to try and predict the future.
Historically, transfers have been generally been spectacular for Ohio State. The magical 2017 run that came up short was sparked by a DIII transfer (Eric Fannell) and the best player to ever suit up in the Scarlet and Gray (Ben Randall).
Fannell, as you may remember, was instrumental in helping Ohio State pour goals into the net, especially a young star named Tre Leclaire. Randall is the most talented and decorated player, let alone defender, to play in Columbus. His consecutive 1st-team All-american seasons are the only instances of a Buckeye men's lacrosse player achieving that distinction.
And this year's roster has more than a few players on it who are transfers, including at least 3 potential starters. Coach Myers hasn't been shy about adding transfer players in the right circumstances. Other posts of mine from earlier this year listed around 10 players the coaches actively pursued at one time or other.
If a player can help, the staff is willing to take a shot at the right person. Moving forward, however, I think we might see a bit less activity on the transfer market than more. My rationale is based entirely on the roster construction right now.
At a time when other teams are carrying most of their seniors over, Ohio State has done the exact opposite. The Buckeyes, per Coach Myers, have 48 guys on the roster. Denver has 66 right now, which is around 1.5 recruiting classes.
Obviously, most of those players aren't necessarily high on the scholarship chain, but that's an incredible number of players. The Buckeyes seem to be zigging while everyone else zags. There aren't going to be as many holdovers as we might think. Additionally, this is a very, very young roster.
The midfielders are especially young, with only one senior on the offensive side of the ball, maybe two depending on how personnel are deployed. If 2021's season happens, I don't think either senior starts, offensively. Your first line should be Johnny Wiseman and the Mitchell brothers. Also known as a junior and two sophomores, though really a sophomore and two freshmen thanks to that extra year. The second line will definitely feature a senior in Griffin Hughes, and is likely to also rely heavily on true freshmen in a rotation. Why does this matter?
Ohio State feels really good about the offensive personnel they have. After misses in the midfield, the staff likes the players they've brought in for the 2019 and 2020 classes. Certainly, they will bring in a Chris Gray or a Chase Scanlan if they can. But there likely won't be additions offensively because of the players in Columbus now.
With the way 2022 has gone, there's even less incentive to add transfer middies unless it's a perfect fit. At attack, Ohio State is set for years, as long as everyone signs for 2022 (very unlikely). Defensively, the Buckeyes struggled in 2019 and 2020, but added a slew of transfers to the unit leading up to 2021. Jack DeSantis, a Columbus product, came home from Maryland. Eric Wenz is a senior from Hofstra who will most likely plug and play.
Ben Williams, a starter last year, will certainly have a shot at holding down his spot. Even the goalie will be new, with Alec Van de Bovenkamp finding a home in Columbus after leaving Furman. These new faces are going to be counted on to make an impact, but also likely prevent any real hunting for a transfer defensively.
The 2021 and 2022 classes have been absolutely outstanding from a recruiting standpoint on defense, meaning the Buckeyes have additional incentive to not utilize the portal right now. To put a point on it, Ohio State is highly unlikely to be very active regarding transfers unless there is a can't-miss player who will help immediately. And that circumstance would only occur on the offensive side.
For those that might be asking why, I believe this policy is related to recruiting. As I mentioned earlier, Denver's carrying 66 players this year. Most other schools are doing something similar. For Ohio State, recruiting is always a challenge with the big boys, so this gives them a bit more leverage for star recruits still in HS.
Look at Syracuse, Duke, or Maryland. They're recruiting 5 guys at your position, and have 4 transfers trying to get accepted too. You can come here and compete for a spot right away, at a fantastic university that is still building its foundation in lacrosse.
We have lacrosse-specific facilities coming, a brand new training complex, and untold opportunities. That's my recruiting pitch, at least. If Ohio State can keep up its recruiting momentum in midfield, while just maintaining elsewhere, the future looks very bright indeed.
As a post-script, there's more upheaval at Syracuse, with a bunch of guys entering the portal at midfielder. Reportedly. Stephen Rehfuss, a senior attackman, has already been confirmed as in. Unless he is willing to be a middie, there's no way he ends up in Columbus.
Any middies that pop up, however, would definitely be an interesting opportunity for Ohio State. Something to keep an eye on as we move through the winter.
Merry Christmas, and Go Bucks!
