🐊 FLORIDA GATORS...TO THE PROS!?

Dylan Hess did not expect to hear his name called in the 2024 PLL Draft.

“I found out while I was ordering a sandwich from a local Georgetown deli when my phone started blowing up with text messages,” the 6-foot, 215-pound midfielder told The Lacrosse Network this week.

Hess was coming off an All-American senior season at Georgetown when the Carolina Chaos drafted him in the fourth round (Pick No. 28 overall) last May. He would have been a solid addition to one of the toughest SSDM rotations in the PLL, but the Florida native had one more dream to chase at the collegiate level. He wanted to transfer back to his home state and try to walk onto the Florida Gators football team.

Hess knew SEC football was a long shot, but he was up for the challenge. When he didn’t make the team, Florida’s club (MCLA) lacrosse team swooped in.

“It was pretty disheartening when football didn’t work out,” Hess told TLN, “so I was reluctant to start playing club lacrosse. I give credit to my buddies on the team who convinced me to come to tryouts.”

Now as the D1 stud at Florida, Hess has an opportunity to turn up his game in 2025. In high school at Ponte Vedra, he was his team’s leading scorer and a five-star recruit. His first two years at Georgetown, he recorded 42 points as a two-way midfielder. Then, as a junior, he switched positions to become an elite defensive midfielder.

Might Hess be unleashed on offense at Florida?

“It feels like an eternity since I played offense,” Hess said, “but hopefully I can score some goals this year so my mom stops annoying me about shooting more.”

Long before joining Florida’s club lacrosse team, Hess had a connection to the program. The No. 8 is retired at Florida for a former player named Jamie Chapin, who passed away in 2011 after being diagnosed with brain cancer. Chapin’s aunt happens to be Hess’ Godmother.

Upon joining the team and speaking with Chapin’s parents, Hess and Florida decided to un-retire the No. 8 so he could wear it in Chapin’s honor this season.

“I would not be playing lacrosse if it weren’t for Jamie,” Hess said. “His influence inspired me to pick up a stick, and I have been running around with it ever since.”

It’s not extremely common, but players do get recycled in the PLL Draft. Reigning league MVP Jeff Teat, for example, was originally selected by the Chaos in the second round of the 2020 PLL Draft — but Teat returned to Cornell that year and ended up going No. 1 overall to the Atlas in 2021.

Hess is in a similar situation. Having already been drafted once out of Georgetown, he now has the opportunity to become the first PLL Draft pick selected out of the University of Florida.

After seeing how much the game has grown in The Sunshine State since he was a kid, Hess is eager to attack his unique opportunity to put Gainesville on the PLL map.

“[If we] make enough noise as a team and a league, we might be seeing a D1 men’s team here at Florida and other big schools around the country.”

Will Florida eventually add a D1 men’s team? Reply to this email with a school you want to see add lacrosse!

📈 PLL Combine Underway at IMG Academy

Let’s keep things in Florida for a moment, as the 2025 PLL Combine is officially underway at IMG Academy. This event features 40 of the best high school players in the Class of 2026 and puts them through testing that is similar to the NFL Combine.

In addition to positional drills, all athletes will be timed/measured in the following categories:

• Vertical Jump

• Broad Jump

• Speed (40-yard dash)

• Agility (10-yard shuttle)

• Cone Agility Test (with stick)

• Strength (AMRAP)

• Stick Skills (timed wall ball routine)

• Shot Speed (2 reps on radar gun)

Almost every attendee at the 2025 PLL Combine is committed to an NCAA Division I program. Among the biggest names in attendance are midfielder James Gillis (Duke), defenseman Joe Ligas (Notre Dame) and goalie Hunter Mezzatesta (Virginia). All three are currently ranked among the top 10 recruits in the Class of 2026 by Inside Lacrosse.

🥍 WLL Announces Full 2025 Team Rosters

The Women’s Lacrosse League announced full team rosters and coaches this week.

Here’s your one-stop shop for every player in the league:

The Maryland Charm feature a lot of former Maryland Terrapins, as do the California Palms with former North Carolina Tar Heels. The Boston Guard are mostly made up of former Boston College and Notre Dame players, while the New York Charging roster is mostly former Syracuse and Northwestern players.

And for the coaches…

Boston: Laurie DeLuca (head coach), Tracey Sullivan (assistant)
New York: Colleen Magarity (head coach), Molly Wolf (assistant)
Maryland: Taylor Cummings Danseglio (head coach), Emily Parros (assistant)
California: Adam Sear (head coach), Ginny Capicchioni (assistant)

The WLL is set to debut at the 2025 PLL Championship Series in February.

🚫 Chinstrap Rule Change Hits High School

The NFHS and USA Lacrosse have announced rule changes for the 2025 high school lacrosse season, and one clarification targets the way some players are wearing their helmets.

Rule 1-9-1a has been clarified to state that “the chinstrap shall be worn on the chin” as opposed to over the mouth.

This trend has grown in popularity in recent years, resulting in loose-fitting helmets that are dislodged more easily when absorbing body and stick checks. This rule only applies to high school players; we will see if a similar clarification will follow at the college/pro levels.

👀 See INSIDE Clemson’s $27.5 Million Facility

How did Clemson go from a start-up program to an NCAA Division I powerhouse almost overnight? Well, having one of the nicest lacrosse facilities in the country sure helps.

Join us for a tour of Clemson’s state-of-the-art facility in the video below, presented by STX.

Clemson is the first program in the country to have a facility specifically devoted to women’s lacrosse. As a result, the Tigers are quickly ascending in the ultra-competitive ACC. Last recruiting cycle, they flipped No. 1 prospect Alexa Spallina from Syracuse to Clemson — a clear sign of the shifting power within the conference.