Spring is happening, and college lacrosse is in full swing. And look at that: we started a website! 

Welcome to our first article ever: 2025 PLL Preseason Power Rankings. Max Harris and Matt Bitonti, the original PLL lacrosse lax bros, break down the favorites and the underdogs. It's the first article, but it's far from the last.  

The Favorites

1 - New York Atlas 

Max: Led by reigning MVP Attackman Jeff Teat and the 2022 MVP FOGO extraordinaire Trevor Baptiste, the New York Atlas will be a powerhouse. No team moves the ball better than the Atlas, dwarfing the rest of the league in total assists (83). If they can shore up their defense through the draft, they should be ready to make up for last year's disappointing playoff exit with a championship run.

Matt: The Atlas have nine players in the PLL Top 50, including last year's MVP in "Teater." They have at least three proven two-point specialists. Their youth, such as righty attackman Connor Shellenberger, long pole Tyler Carpenter, and goalie Liam Entenmann, are rising talents. Mercurial midfielder Myles Jones found his form in the Champ Series and captained the Japan roster. Mike Pressler is the Coach of the Year. This Atlas roster feels extra loaded.

2 - Utah Archers

Max: The reigning champs of the PLL are going to be threats to repeat in 2025. Coach Chris Bates is a lacrosse genius with a reputation for advanced game planning and tactics. With top-tier talent at every position and excellent depth, they won't be going down without a fight, as evident by their gutsy victory over the Whipsnakes in the championship game. 

Matt: This team has four stars in the top 15 and nine total in the PLL top 50. That elite group (Connor Fields, Tom Schreiber, Grant Ament, and goalie Brett Dobson) are all difference makers operating at the highest pro lacrosse levels. FOGO Mike Sisselberger has moments of dominance. Close defense isn't a fatal weakness, but there is a need for young talent behind Graeme Hossack.   

The Contenders

3 - Boston Cannons

Max: Asher Nolting was the second-leading scorer in the PLL last year, and if the Championship Series is any indication, he's showing no signs of slowing down. This team has deadly efficiency from two-point range thanks to star midfielder and attackman Matt Campbell and Marcus Holman. If they can upgrade at FOGO and win more possessions, watch out; their defense is already stout. 

Matt: Besides Nolting, an absolute tank, former Villanova midfielder Matt Campbell is a key player for this Cannons squad. He's a coach's dream, able to put pressure on opposing defenses in multiple ways. Garrett Epple has been a stud at close defense, and goalie Colin Kirst can get hot and wall up. This team has smarts, wiles, and even after trading their three pick to the Redwoods for LSM Owen Grant, they still have the four pick. This roster is built to go pretty far in this format. 

4 - Maryland Whipsnakes

Max: Maybe they overachieved, but the Whipsnakes had an impressive playoff run, ending in a loss in the final. TJ Malone leads the attack with the veteran Matt Rambo as his wingman. Speaking of vets, they added Rob Pannell for one last run and got Brad Smith back from injury. If they can patch up their holes, we will see the Whipsnakes in the guts of the playoffs again.

Matt: This Maryland team has two elite talents in Malone (last year's ROY) and close defense Matt Dunn (last year's DPOY). Besides Tucker Dordevic, they lack two-point specialists. But this team has insane cohesion, with most of their starters from the Maryland system. The guys who aren't alum are Team USA studs like Ryan Conrad and Matt Brandau. This familiarity makes the Whips a perennially dangerous group.    

In The Mix

5 - Denver Outlaws

Matt: The big news here is the retirement of goalie Sean Sconone. Matt Knote and Owen McElroy are the current goaltending options. Look for the Outlaws to find some competition in the draft or make a trade. But they will have to find this answer without their first-round pick, which they traded for attackman Pat Kavanagh. This tactic could work out, though, as goalies are rarely first-round picks in the PLL draft. 

Max: Coming off of a heartbreaking 11-10 loss to the Whipsnakes in the first round of the playoffs, the Outlaws are on the cusp of moving themselves into the favorites tier. The Outlaws' team identity runs through ascending Attackman Brennan O'Neill and their fantastic SSDM duo. Right in the middle of the pack, both on offense and defense, the Outlaws need an infusion of talent through the draft to get to that next level.

6 - Philadelphia Waterdogs

Max: The Waterdogs missed the playoffs with a putrid record of 2-8 last year, but they're monsters at forcing turnovers. If they had better short-stick defenders to capitalize on those turnovers, they could create more transition games to help their middling offense. The Waterdogs also struggle mightily in faceoffs. Look for them to address both positions in the draft.

Matt: This team traded for legendary Haudenosaunee attackman Zed Williams, who promptly got hurt - Ouch. The silver lining is that the Dogs have the first overall pick in this year's draft, Cornell attackman CJ Kirst. Kirst had the Tewaaraton Award locked up before March was out, and some folks wonder if he's a better prospect than last year's overall pick, Brennan O'Neil. They need to hit on a lot of draft picks to be good this season. But, hey, anything's possible. 

Okay, I'm Reloaded 

7 - California Redwoods

Max: This group missed the playoffs last year, and this roster already looks very different. There's a new GM in Joe Spallina and a new head coach in Anthony Kelly. These new leaders will emphasize toughness but lack talent at all levels of defense; expect these Redwoods to give up a lot of goals at first. 

Matt: I like the new GM/HC combo on paper. Why do other teams have a head coach doing essentially two jobs? The Woods have the two overall pick in the draft, which they could use on any position. This lineup is young and nebulous. Perhaps tall LSM Jared Conners moves to close defense to get shorter (but faster) BJ Farrare on the field. I like this group as a live underdog - expectations may be too low on the spread bets.  

8 - Carolina Chaos

Max: There's no other way to put it- Blaze Riorden is a miracle worker. As the best goalie in the game, Blaze almost singlehandedly kept the Chaos as the lowest-scoring defense in the league last year with the highest Save %. With a new head coach coming into the fold, the Chaos must hit on a few rookies to climb out of the bottom tier. 

Matt: It's been a rough year for Chaos. It all started before last season when the team tried to switch from a more box-style offense to an outdoor approach after several of their stars opted to play in the Major Series Lacrosse. The offense was dire and long story short, head coach Andy Towers is gone. Where does this leave new HC Roy Colsey and GM Spencer Ford? The entire offense outside of Josh Byrne needs rebuilding.