It. Is. Time. The lifeblood of any sport in collegiate athletics is recruiting. And tomorrow, we see the fruits of the staff's labor as signing day kicks off. The 2022 class has been rock-solid for months now, aside from a quiet decommit from one defensive prospect. One of Nick Myers' stated goals on his performance review was to keep this class intact, and based on what we can see, it's going to be met.
Let's get into it.
As always, we start with the Ohio players. Kicking us off is Sam (Mr.) Burns, out of Upper Arlington. Mr. Burns ended his junior season on a tear, tallying five goals in UA's title game loss. As a midfielder, Burns dodges a little, but scores a LOT.
This is the first class where you can really see what the staff is trying to do on offense, and Mr. Burns will be an integral part of what I'm going to call the "Turkey Shoot" offense if it goes well. Mr. Burns shoots the lights out of the ball, but isn't what you would call a cannon shooter. His placement is exceptional, and he is deceiving enough on his release to fill up the net. A great late addition to this class.
Next up is Blake Eiland of Western Reserve Academy. A reclass from the 2021s, Eiland went to WRA to learn from former Buckeye coach Dylan Sheridan. When Sheridan took the Pioneer job, I said it would be a boon to the Buckeyes' recruiting fortunes. Eiland is just the beginning of the pipeline. As a middie, Eiland is a good dodger, a good shooter, takes faceoffs, and defends hard.
Easy to see him as another Terefenko analog, with skill at a variety of positions. Eiland is part of the next generation of Buckeye middies, who are all taking an additional step in size and athletic ability. Nearly all of them played football at a high level as well, adding to the notion that things are going to change for the Buckeye fortunes. Quickly.
Last in the Ohio signees, but certainly not least, is Griffin Liedel out of Hudson High School. Liedel was another late commit, but he is far from an afterthought. Liedel is a solid defender who made the U18 national team this year, and anchors a Hudson defense that helped the Explorers to victories over Western Reserve and St. Ignatius in 2021.
Liedel is an under-the-radar prospect who will bolster a rapidly improving defense in Columbus. He is a tremendous addition, and the entire signing class from OH is really showing the development of the game in the Buckeye State.
Moving into the out of state players, we're going alphabetical, because that's fair.
Starting off the new Buckeyes is Gavin Begonia, from the Lawrence Academy in Massachusetts. Lawrence struggled in 2021, but Begonia showed off a stellar shot and knack for scoring. He is silky smooth as a lefty attackman, which is important considering how few good lefties the Buckeyes have had lately.
Especially scoring lefties. Begonia is going to be an off-ball threat for sure. Best comparison is a better shooting, less athletic Jackson Reid. And the Bucks will definitely take that.
Up next is Cullen Brown, a defender from Landon in DC. Brown is a force to be reckoned with as a longpole, will look to have some early playing time after his senior year with the Bears. Cullen is a big player at 6'3", and is a 4-star prospect at a position of need for the Buckeyes. I don't know if he starts year one, but certainly he will compete for minutes in his sophomore season. In my mind at least.
Not content with just one lefty sniper, the Buckeyes also will sign Matt Caputo out of Long Island Lutheran in NY. Caputo is an attackman who excels at finishing inside and in the midrange. A complete off-ball threat, Caputo is a prototypical supporting attackman who will really excel off of the dodges of others.
As a skip-pass shooter, Caputo is deadly, and will certainly fight for time early. Could be out of the box or down low, but his scoring is something the Buckeyes need.
Jonny Cool has a cool name, and a cool game to go with it. As a player, Cool is a midfield eraser. Playing LSM, Cool will challenge for a starting role almost immediately. He is physical, aggressive, and has the footwork to stick with any dodger from the midfield. Cool's going to be a threat in transition, too. Lots to like about his ability, and what he will bring to Buckeye D, which has struggled against Big Ten middies at the LSM spot.
Oran Gelinas, of the Middlesex School in Massachusetts, is the goalie for this class, and not a moment too soon. Gelinas will sit a year behind Caton Johnson, maybe two, but he will be an important depth player after the Buckeyes have been ravaged by transfers. Gelinas probably won't make an impact early, but has the chance to be the clear number 2 keeper right from the jump.
Tate Jones is one of two signees from North Carolina, graduating from Middle Creek HS, and comes in as an athletic monster whose skills are still raw. Jones is a middie all the way, but lacks some of the IQ and stick skills to be an instant impact player right away. Jones could be an all-conference player, but he will need to put in the work to get there.
Lots of guys are fast and shifty, but not a lot have elite stick skills to go with it. Jones can get into elite company, and be the dodger of the class. If he does, the Buckeyes will be in really good hands.
Coleman Kraske is the other North Carolinian, out of Wakefield HS, and will be one of the two FOGOs in the class. Kraske is a second-tier faceoff player in the 2022 class, just below the elite guys out of HS, but certainly no slouch. With the extra time to adjust to Standing Neutral Grip, Kraske will look to hit the ground running in a wide open race for the faceoff spot.
Justin Inacio will have moved on, meaning Kraske can get reps early if he chooses to. It's not a given, certainly, but there's not really any obstacle in Kraske's way. Aside from the other signee.
Johnny Maccarone is the next signee, a reclassification from 2021 who will spend a postgrad year at IMG Academy after medical issues forced him to miss a bunch of his senior year. Maccarone was a top 60 recruit in the 2021 class while dealing with kidney failure. He is an incredible finisher, and exceptional shooter down at attack.
Not quite as elite as Ryan Brown, but like Mr. Burns can really place his shots well. Maccarone will be looking to build momentum moving into his 5th HS year, and be 100% ready for his foray into college lacrosse.
Dillon Magee is the other big midfield recruit in this class for Ohio State, and he will be insane to watch. Coming out of Lovejoy HS in Texas, Magee plays for the Leopards' club lacrosse team, but has incredible attributes. Physically imposing, Magee can pretty much do what he wants as a dodger.
He will be a problem, especially when initiating up top, and will serve to overhaul the Buckeye midfield position in a big way. I don't think Magee will be pushed to SSDM, like Cmiel was, but could easily dp so if needed. Magee is a great player, with a very hard shot, and he will be a tremendous asset at middie during his career.
Cameron Pack, a Canadian SSDM with a heavy box background, is going to be a steal for this class. Pack is no nonsense and incredibly gifted defensively.
He plays an intense brand of D, harassing opponents constantly until they turn it over or he is able to force them to pass it away. In transition, Pack reminds me a little of Cmiel, but with better stick skills. That should be scary for anyone playing offense in the Big Ten. Pack's a two-way threat, and could probably be a 6-10 goal scorer if given the green light. Box guys don't mess about.
That wraps up our pre-Signing Day rundown. I will post the film of each signee in the comments when I am not on mobile, so that we can all enjoy the delightful skills these young men will bring to the table. At 14 guys, this is a bigger class. But the roster has been pretty thin lately, so this just adds more fuel to the fire. Lots to look forward to this year!
Go Bucks!
