Michael Phipps Departing Maryland Men's Lacrosse

The news comes as a shock to fans, but it comes on the heels of a disappointing 7-6 finish to the 2026 campaign, in which they fell to No. 15 Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals, diminishing any hope of an NCAA Tournament berth.

It was the first time the Terps missed the NCAA Tournament since the 2002 season, when Maryland finished with a more-than-worthy record of 9-4 and still were not selected by the committee to lock up a bid.

However, Phipps played a key role in developing Spanos, Erska, and Daniel Kelly into key members of the program and an elite offense who helped guide them to back-to-back National Championship appearances in 2024 and 2025.

Phipps had this to say when speaking to Inside Lacrosse reporter, Kevin Brown, on Sunday about his decision to step away from College Park:

“I’m just looking forward to the next step in my life,” Phipps said. “A big thing for me is being able to be around my girls and watch them grow up and have a bigger presence in their life. I love the Terps and just can’t wait to sit back and watch them with my family as a fan.”

Phipps played at Maryland, where he amassed 95 points (48G, 47A) over three years as an attacker at College Park. His senior season was his best yet, in which he finished with a team-high 50 points and 28 goals. He received the Van Trump Award as the team's best attackman.

After a successful stint at the collegiate level with the Terps, Phipps went on to play in the Major Lacrosse League, where he played for both the Los Angeles Riptide and the Chesapeake Bayhawks.

Phipps entered the coaching realm with stints at various schools finding success at each places helping with the development of players, offsenses, and overall team success:

High Point (2012-2014)

Navy (2015-2017)

Georgetown (2018-2022)

Navy second stint ( 2019-2023)

Maryland (2024-2026)

The Terps roster is also changing, with the departures of top attackers Eric Spanos, Braden Erksa, Leo Johnson, and Chris Lyons. Maryland's offense ranked 46th in goals per contest (10.85), 42nd in points per contest (17.08), and 24th in scoring margin (1.69) nationally in 2026.

Returning to the Terps roster are Brian Ruppel and Riley Reese, who will be key leaders for the new-look group, welcoming in new names such as Colin Bullock and Henry Dodge (Vermont transfers), and incoming freshmen midfielder Ethan Bramoff and attacker Brady Mollot.

Maryland head coach John Tillman will now begin to look for a new offensive coordinator to replace Phipps, while also reloading the roster to reenter championship-contending status.

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