Syracuse men’s lacrosse: The agony and ecstasy of the transfer portal

At around 5 PM yesterday evening, my head dropped as I went on twitter and saw the news from Inside Lacrosse’s Ty Xanders.

Another Syracuse Orange men’s lacrosse player, their fourth so far, had entered the transfer portal. This time, Matteo Corsi, the midfielder who scored five goals and two assists during his true freshman season in 2022.

We’re only a week an a half into the offseason for SU, and already four players have entered the portal. First came Tucker Dordevic, followed by Mikey Berkman and Jack Savage. On Wednesday, Corsi added his name to the list. After seeing the news, my mind started drifting to the complexion of next year’s Orange midfield and how many pieces it needs to replace.

Not even three hours later, a likely big piece of next year’s midfield came into focus. Once again on twitter, Ty Xanders’ very next tweet brought me some happier news.

‘Cuse had obtained a commitment from former Denver attack/middie Alex Simmons as a grad transfer for the 2023 season.

It’s a big get for the Orange. There’s a lot to like about Simmons, who just entered the transfer portal on Monday. He’s a Canadian with an extensive box lacrosse background. He’s a former high school teammate of Owen Hiltz at Culver Academy. He’s a veteran presence for what currently projects as a very young, if talented, offense next year.

Simmons has had a really strong career with the Pioneers, amassing 129 points (81G, 48A) in 50 career games, only 33 of which came as a starter. His last two years have been especially productive, finishing with 55 and 45 points, good enough for third on the team each year.

Perhaps most significantly, he has played both attack and midfield throughout his career at Denver, so it seems he’s comfortable wherever the team needs him to play. Bottom line: he’s a really good, experienced lacrosse player who should be a valuable asset to next year’s team.

And so it goes in the age of the transfer portal.

Some days make you happy. Some days make you sad. And some days, like yesterday, make your head spin as you ride the roller coaster of emotions while refreshing twitter to find out what happens next.

The offseason has taken on an entirely new life these days, especially right now where so many players still have that extra year of eligibility granted by the shortened 2020 season. The summer isn’t just the offseason anymore; it’s now the transfer season.

And just think, the offseason hasn’t even fully gotten underway yet. There are 16 teams still playing May lacrosse as of today. We’ve barely just gotten started on transfer season.

It might test our patience. We may not be done hearing the news of ‘Cuse players entering their names into the portal. But we’re also not done hearing about players from other schools doing the same. Just look at Simmons. He just entered the portal on Monday, and two days later he’s making plans for CNY. There are plenty more like him.

It’s almost perfect that it happened on the same day that we get the news of Corsi, because it’s a reminder of the see-sawing portal world we now live in. Some moments we’re up. Some, we’re down.

Four out. One in. What’s next? Stay tuned, and keep that head on a swivel.