May 26, 2025; Foxborough, MA, USA; Maryland midfielder Jack McDonald (51) controls the ball against the Cornell Big Red during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Maryland Men's Lacrosse 2026 transfer class ranked No.1 for the second consecutive year

Originally posted on Maryland Terrapins on SI
By Jaden Golding | Last updated Aug 14, 2025 6:48 PM ET

The Maryland men's lacrosse team is no stranger to success. It has appeared in the NCAA Championship game nine of the past 15 seasons, finishing as runner-up in seven seasons. It captured the championship in the 2017 and 2022 seasons, going an undefeated 18-0 in 2022 and beating Cornell 9-7 for the crown.

Head coach John Tillman and the Terps are looking to bounce back after the heartbreaking finish in the 2025 NCAA Championship game, where they fell 13-10 to the number-one-seeded Cornell.

Maryland has added five new players to its already talented and deep roster this offseason through the transfer portal, receiving the No. 1-ranked class of 2026 by Inside Lacrosse:

Mikey Alexander, D, Yale (Gr.)
Henry Dodge, FO, Vermont
Trey Fleece, M, UMBC
Leo Johnson, A, Yale (Gr.)
Chris Lyons, A, Yale (Gr.)

Editor in chief of Inside Lacrosse, Matt Kinnear, had this to say about the newest additions for the Terps in his latest article;

"It’s not just the star power, but the depth of contributors that Maryland brings in. It breeds an atmosphere of competition for every spot on the depth chart, year in and year out. Maryland addedthree of IL’s Top 5 transfers. Leo Johnson and Chris Lyons are linked from their chemistry at Yale; Johnson the lefty who can facilitate with Lyons the big righty. Their production from three seasons ago was staggering, and with Eric Spanos, Braden Erksa, and others back, it’s sure that John Tillman and Michael Phipps will be able to create some magic. Mikey Alexander brings tremendous experience to a unit that needs to replace two starters, and Henry Dodge is one of the biggest prizes of the Transfer Portal: A game-changing face-off guy (71.3% last year) is always in demand."

Their two top scorers, Erksa (33 goals & 15 assists) and Spanos ( 36 goals & 19 assists), will again lead the attack and look to receive additional help from the aforementioned Johnson and Lysons duo. It's possible that the younger attackers on the roster, such as Jack Shultz and Elijah Stobaugh, can also receive an increase in their roles and production.