17. Matt Wright, LSM, North Carolina to Syracuse (1G, 3A, 27GB, 9CT in 14 games)
9. Christian Mulé, A, Lehigh to Syracuse (29G, 44A in 15 games)
Mulé finished third nationally in assists and assists per game last season. How the Orange sort out who plays attack and who plays midfield will be interesting. With Cole Kirst and Alex Simmons gone, Mulé joins a group that will have to sort out who plays down low out of Joey Spallina, Owen Hiltz, Finn Thomson and Trey Deere. Between the righty/lefty balance, the scoring/playmaking balance and the depth of quality midfielders the Orange have, the answers aren’t immediately obvious, but there’s little doubt that Mulé brings a new element to complement Spallina thanks to his distribution.
2. Sam English, M, Princeton to Syracuse (7G, 13A in 9 games)
1. Jake Stevens, M, Princeton to Syracuse (24G, 5A, 35GB in 15 games)
There does not appear to be a Michael Sowers in the 2023 grad transfer class (at least by the standard of “likely to be a top-two threat on a PLL champion and World Champion in the next three years”). So, consider: who was the most impactful grad transfer in the 2022 class? There are certainly arguments to be made for the likes of Dordevic and Chris Fake, but it’s hard not to watch Notre Dame’s late possessions in the national championship game vs. Duke (and in the semifinals vs. Virginia two days earlier) and come to the conclusion that Jack Simmons and, even moreso, Brian Tevlin made a greater impact than any other grad transfer in 2023. So in that vein, while it’d certainly be a surprise to see Syracuse playing on Memorial Day, Stevens stands in as one of the best available proxies for Tevlin and while English’s game might not be identical to Simmons’, he projects as a first-line middie with a Final Four pedigree.
For English, his ceiling will be defined by the degree to which he regains the shooting touch from ’22 that abandoned him in the spring before his season ended due to a spleen injury vs. the Orange. Stevens’ success will likely be determined by how well coach Gary Gait and his staff can find a role utilizes his wide array of skills as a two-way guy who’s so good off the wings.