Posted this in the 2025 forum. Just trying to be helpful but I’m sure the trolls will come out. I’m actually surprised there are zero posts in the 2026 forum which may be appropriate as high school club lax is really not about wins and losses by this point but more so about recruiting, play good lax and having fun.

This is long so feel free to scroll on by.

For those interested in 2025 recruiting this post is only my opinion as everyone’s experience is different. Background: 2 kids who just went through this. One got into a top 30 D1 academic school without lacrosse and is not playing lacrosse at that school. Other got into a top 40 academic school and will hopefully play MCLA. Both had a good amount of recruitment but none to their liking as academics were more of their focus.

First decide if what is more important, academics or lax. If it’s academics then high d1, high d3, high MCLA is the way to go. If it’s lax, you have plenty of choices with the rest of d1, all if d2 and low-mid d3 and a plethora of MCLA. If your interest is:

High D1 (top 20): it’s never too late but times running short. Coaches always keep 1-2 spots open but your chances of getting in are low. The name of the game is connections: if you aren’t from a top lax High School (or less important a top Lax Club) your chances are low. If you look at the rosters of these colleges, almost all of them have come from a powerhouse High School. Since all these schools are also excellent academic schools, you have to have the grades. Don’t think that lax will make exceptions for you. You have to be an exceptional player to be that’s exception and they have already made their commitments. Otherwise, your grades have to be in the ballpark.

Mid D1 - not too late but now is your go time. Good news, with the exception of Dartmouth and Colgate, the academics needed to get in are not as rigorous

Low D1 - academics are usually not a concern. My kids were still getting interest through March of their SENIOR year

D2 - really not on par academically but some great lax programs. I believe they are are able to reach out to you starting June 15 after your sophomore year.

Really High d3 (NESCAC, Swarthmore, washLee [am I missing any others]) - again, academics are a necessity to get in. They used to start making offers June/July after your JUNIOR a year but NESCAC pushed their back to august, presumedly while awaiting the Supreme Court decision. Don’t know what will be this year

Slightly less high d3 (centennial, chris Newport, Salisbury , colorado college, liberty, MAC, ODAC) - some are better schools but there is some great lax programs where academics are not as competitive

Mid-low d3 - tough to be these schools recruiting. Spots are always open. You may have gotten letters accepting you without even talking to you. It lax is your focus and academics not so much? Then you can always find a spot here

MCLA - 3 divisions with D1 being the best (they have tryouts for some as the rosters have kids from great lax high schools). Such a good under appreciated option for those kids where academics are important. How much more fun would it be to play against Clemson, BC, Stanford, Northeastern, VaTech, Florida, BYU, USC, UCLA, Texas, GaTech, The down side is you ain’t playing on national TV and you have to pay your own way. But on the flip side, A LOT less practice. D2 and d3 more like true club but they do travel.

A couple other points:

Don’t despair by the amount of social media commitments since Sep 1. My kids were getting recruited up to the day they set foot on campus. It’s obviously not too late to get recruited. With 80 D1, 75 D2, 250 D3 programs there is a spot if lacrosse is your main priority.

Most lax players seem to go into finance. But if you are STEM focused, don’t tell them you are STEM focused. A lot of schools don’t want someone tied up in labs and missing practices.

Be wary of prospect days. Many are done just to supplement income for coaches. You will get a ton of invites. How to distinguish? If they mention something in their letter that your kid did specifically (not the rando “we saw you at ‘x’ tourney and were ‘really impressed’) or if they contacted your coach who recommended you to go. That being said if your kid really wants to go then by all means, they should go.

Don’t count on a full scholarship. As one coach said they would rather split the scholarship money amongst 12 recruits rather than give someone a full ride.

Enjoy the process but don’t make a lax commitment and sacrifice academics. I’ve seen too many kids go to a “lesser” school just to commit. College lax is just four more years. College itself is a lifetime decision.

Again, just an opinion and trying to be helpful and not anecdotal because there are always exceptions. Everyone has different priorities. Please post if there are any gross errors. I’m sure I missed a lot so please add on because I wish we had better guidance when we went through it. Good luck to everyone.