2026 Inside Lacrosse D1 Top 50 players

[Zack80]

Inside Lacrosse seems to be gearing up to do their top 50 players next week. They have their top 10 big misses today:

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/the-10-biggest-misses-from-top-50-ncaa-men-s-players-for-2025/66104

We can look back on last year's top 50 for 2025:

Thread 'Inside Lacrosse's Top 50 players for 2025'

Dec 2, 2024

• OrangeXtreme
• Replies: 33
• Forum: Syracuse Lacrosse Board

There seem to be some rather big misses that they don't mention:
#18 Jake Taylor, who had 31g-5a, 36 pts - which seems like a bigger miss than either Yale attackmen.
#14 Jack Fracyon, who had an off year for PSU in goal
#4 Emmett Carroll, who had an off year for Penn in goal.

 

[nyclax]

#18 Jake Taylor, who had 31g-5a, 36 pts - which seems like a bigger miss than either Yale attackmen.

taylor was a slight miss but you dont have to pretend johnson and lyons were better than they were last year just because they are maryland attackmen now. they both had miserable years...lyons' point total dropped by 33 and johnson was 6th worst in the country in turnovers per game...they fell apart without brandau

 

[Zack80]

taylor was a slight miss but you dont have to pretend johnson and lyons were better than they were last year just because they are maryland attackmen now. they both had miserable years...lyons' point total dropped by 33 and johnson was 6th worst in the country in turnovers per game...they fell apart without brandau

Taylor was just a slight miss with just 36 points in 14 games and ranked #18?
1st off Taylor was ranked above #24 Lyons and #30 L.Johnson.
Johnson did have a high number of turnovers 34 in 13 games, but he put up nice point totals with 26g, 20a - 46 points, that is 3.5 ppg
Lyons had 30g, 11a - 41 points, for 3.2 ppg.
They didn't seem to get a lot of offensive support as Yale. Perhaps, as much of a miss for Yale would be midfielder #34 Max Krevsky, who dropped from 33pts in 2024 to 23pts in 2023.
Anyhow, I'm not that much into supporting Lyons and Johnson last year, as into supporting them this year.

Another one, some might consider is #16 McCabe Millon. While Millon had a nice point total of 23g-27a - 50 points in 14 games. His shooting pct was .197 and he had 38 turnovers.

If I was being Terp-centric as you suggest, I would probably be questioning why they didn't have Eric Spanos - not to mention Will Schaller in the top 50.

 

[Zack80]

Inside Lacrosse seems to be taking their time putting this out. I guess we can mull over returning players from USILA's 1st to 3rd team All-American list:
1st team
Aiden Maguire Duke SSDM Jr.
Brady Wambach UNC FO So.
Shawn Lyght ND D So.
Bobby Van Buren OSU D Sr (returns)
Will Schaller UMD D Jr
Caleb Fyock OSU G So.

2nd team
Joey Spallina Syracuse A Jr
Ryan Goldstein Cornell A So
Evan Plunkett Army A Jr
Willem Firth Cornell M So
Benn Johnson Duke M So
Eric Kolar UMd SSDM Jr
Will Donovan ND LSM Jr
John Mullen Syracuse FO So
Ty Banks Georgetown D So
Charlie Johnson Duke D Jr

3rd team
Owen Duffy UNC A Sr
Mikey Weisshaar Towson A Jr
Michael Leo Syracuse M Jr
Chad Polumbo Princeton M Jr
Hunter Aquino PSU M Fr
Jack Pilling Richmond SSDM Jr
Henry Dodge Vermont FO Jr (UMD)
Hunter Smith Richmond D Jr
Sean Byrne Army G Jr

Looking at the above, one gets the feeling that half the top 10 might be defensive players.

 

[Zack80]

It is looking like Inside Lacrosse is waiting till at least next week to put out their top 50.

My prediction on their #1 pick is Shawn Lyght, given the way they talk about him.

 

[Zack80]

Kevin Brown discusses his choices for the top 50:

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/brown-my-most-difficult-choices-for-each-position-while-ranking-top-50-di-men-s-players-for-2026/66116

It seems a little peculiar to have just 2 goalies and then 17 attackmen.

 

[wgdsr]

Kevin Brown discusses his choices for the top 50:

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/brown-my-most-difficult-choices-for-each-position-while-ranking-top-50-di-men-s-players-for-2026/66116

It seems a little peculiar to have just 2 goalies and then 17 attackmen.

especially when there are so few returning elite performing attackmen.

then again, it's not as if lax media is new to infatuation with attackmen. tewaaraton loves attackmen. i think IL had 9 of 21? five stars as attackmen. that's ridiculous. plus they all have slo mo highlights now.

 

[DMVCuseLax]

What Cuse guys make the list?

 

[ColdAnger]

What Cuse guys make the list?

Pool of guys with enough notoriety to make it: Spallina, Thomson, Leo, Mullins, Dwan, Figueiras, and McCool.

My prediction: Spallina, Leo, Mullins & Dwan make the list.

First one out: Thomson. Lack of prior production pushes him out. Recognition of his talent and the quality of the Cuse offense make it really close.

Next one out: Figueiras. Top 50 lists are beauty pageants and Dwan's pole goals win the swimsuit segment while Riley's lock down D on the other team's #1 wins the Q&A segment.

 

[Zack80]

While not an Inside lacrosse All-American, Luke Rhoa was a USILA HM All-American at midfield.

Spallina, Leo, Mullins and Dwan should be in. I'd probably include Figueiras.
Rhoa and McCool would be on the fence.
Thomson probably didn't score quite enough at attack.

 

[Zack80]

Inside Lacrosse finally gets around to giving us their Top 50 men's players. 50-41

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ils-top-50-mens-ncaa-lacrosse-players-for-2026-50-41/70fdff14-8157-444d-b33a-7f453ac74d6d

41) Dominic Pietramala, A, North Carolina
42) Jack Speidell, A, Harvard
43) Brendan Staub, D, Cornell
44) Timmy Shannehan, A, Boston U
45) John Schroter, D, Virginia
46) Quintan Kilrain, D, Johns Hopkins
47) Ryan Croddick, G, Princeton
48) Richard Checo, D, Lehigh
49) Cardin Stoller, G, Rutgers
50) Tucker Wade, M, Princeton

Hard to comment much on this group now, that is, until we see who is in front of them and who was left out. 4 defensemen and 2 goalies.

 

[DMVCuseLax]

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/arti...26-50-31/70fdff14-8157-444d-b33a-7f453ac74d6d

 

[Zack80]

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/arti...26-50-31/70fdff14-8157-444d-b33a-7f453ac74d6d

So we get
31) Charlie Johnson, D, Duke
32) Josh Yago, A, Notre Dame
33) Chad Palumbo, M, Princeton
34) Colin Kurdyla, A, Rutgers
35) Billy Dwan III, D, Syracuse
36) Michael Leo, M, Syracuse
37) Jack Cascadden, FO, Cornell
38) Jack Pilling, SSDM, Richmond
39) AJ Larkin, LSM, Maryland
40) Leo Johnson, A, Maryland

Nice to see AJ Larkin on the list.
I'd probably put Leo Johnson a bit higher up, and put Josh Yago back in the 40s.

 

[Zack80]

So we get the next installment:
21) Hunter Aquino, M/A, Penn State
22) McCabe Millon, A, Virginia
23) Benn Johnston, M, Duke
24) Matt Collison, M, Johns Hopkins
25) John Mullen, FO, Syracuse
26) Liam Connor, A, Georgetown
27) Peter Buonanno, A, Princeton
28) Sean Byrne, G, Army
29) Rory Connor, A, Georgetown
30) Eric Kolar, SSDM, Maryland

It is nice seeing Kolar on the list.

 

[DMVCuseLax]

I assume Joey will be the last player from Cuse.

 

[FloridaCuse]

I assume Joey will be the last player from Cuse.

But will he be the last player on the list, i.e., #1?

 

[JeremyCuse]

But will he be the last player on the list, i.e., #1?

Probably not.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[Zack80]

I assume Joey will be the last player from Cuse.

Princeton appears to be leading the way with 4 right now. Probably, Nate Kabiri will show up giving them 5.
Maryland has 3 right now. Maryland might get 6 possibly: Dodge, Spanos, and W. Schaller.

 

[Zack80]

A few surprises to me in 11-20 group:
11) Mikey Weisshaar, A, Towson
12) Nate Kabiri, A, Princeton
13) Cullen Brown, D, Ohio State
14) Silas Richmond, A, UAlbany
15) Evan Plunkett, M, Army
16) Willem Firth, A, Cornell
17) Eric Spanos, A, Maryland
18) Hunter Smith, D, Richmond
19) Ty Banks, D, Georgetown
20) Alex Ross, D, Penn State

Who have we got left. All the first team AAs:
Aiden Maguire Duke SSDM Jr., Brady Wambach UNC FO So., Shawn Lyght ND D So.,
Bobby Van Buren OSU D Sr (returns), Will Schaller UMD D Jr, Caleb Fyock OSU G So.
2nd team AAs left:
Joey Spallina Syracuse A Jr, Ryan Goldstein Cornell A So, Will Donovan ND LSM Jr
3rd team left:
Owen Duffy UNC A Sr, Henry Dodge Vermont FO Jr (UMD)

That gives 11. I'd probably figure that Dodge is the odd man out.