Inside Lacrosse Podcasts

What Up Prep Nation! IL's Dan Kaplan and Terry Foy hop on the mic to break down the first 15 days since DI coaches have been allowed to contact players in the Class of 2028. They discuss the first 253 commitments in the class, including 87 of the Top 100.

On the heels of Sawyer Bligh's commitment announcement Wednesday, Virginia has set a record for seven 5-Star commitments in one class. They discuss how the group came together in the context of a coaching change, a lawsuit and controversy around the preceding recruiting class. From their, they talk about Princeton's recent flurry that vaulted the defending champs to No. 2 in IL's Recruiting Class Rankings, then talk about the remaining uncommitted players, notably No. 1 Landen O'Neil.

IL's Chris Rosenthall and Kevin Brown return for the title game preview podcast featuring Waterdogs head coach Bill Tierney and Outlaws head coach Tim Soudan to set the stage for the 2026 PLL Championship, set for 12:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

From Tierney's can't-miss anecdotes and quips to Soudan's perfect sell to the masses of why to tune in on ABC at 12:30 p.m., this episode serves as the perfect appetizer before the title game collision course main dish.

By now you’ve probably seen this stage-setting video.

It’s championship week and the Denver Outlaws and Philadelphia Waterdogs meet Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET to decide the 2026 PLL championship. To mark the occasion, the league dropped one probably the most artfully crafted hype videos the sport has ever seen.

Written and directed by Paul Rabil, starring Emmy, Tony and Golden Globe winner (and Oscar nominee) Jeffrey Wright, who’s a 1987 Amherst lacrosse alum. 

“Jeffrey Wright [is a] longtime friend and I've always been like, ‘Man, I want to do something with Jeffrey. I want to direct him. I want to write something for him,’” Rabil told IL in an interview last week. Check out that interview here, and head to InsideLacrosse.com to see the video in full.

IL's Chris Rosenthall and Kevin Brown are back to recap the PLL semifinal action, for which Kevin was in the building. They then turn their attention to the title game collision course between Philadelphia and Denver that has been awaited all summer and is now officially set.

From the bummer of Tom Schreiber missing out on a comeback to the 30-day rest for Utah to the defensive matchups causing issues for Boston, Rosie and KB analyze how the Outlaws and Waterdogs got the job done in Salt Lake City.

From there, Rosie gives his offseason outlooks for the teams who have been eliminated before they set the stage for what promises to be an incredible championship matchup on Sept. 20.

Around this time every year, dozens of parents of high school prospects ask IL's Terry Foy some version of the question, "How does recruiting work?"

In an effort to round out that answer, he's interviewing DI men's lacrosse coaches about their process, continuing the fourth year of the "How Recruiting Works" series with Mercer coach James Chakey.

Named the Bears' head coach just 48 days ago, Chakey discusses his own unique recruiting journey from Haverford (Pa.) to being an LSM at Penn State — after focusing on summer baseball for much of high school — then shares what he learned about recruiting from Jeff Tambroni and John Nostrant. After starting his college coaching career at Washington College, Chakey joined Jon Torpey's staff at High Point for a year before heading to Brown with him, and he goes deep on how those experiences helped his evaluation style evolve. He ends by explaining what appealed to him about the opportunity to move to Macon, how he built out his staff and how he is approaching the ’27 and ’28 classes.

Around this time every year, dozens of parents of high school prospects ask IL's Terry Foy some version of the question, "How does recruiting work?"

In an effort to round out that answer, he's interviewing DI men's lacrosse coaches about their process, continuing the fourth year of the "How Recruiting Works" series with UMBC coach James Purpura.

Arriving in Catonsville after this summer's dead period, the conversation centers around two themes: what Purpura has learned via the diversity of his last two stops (head coach at VMI and assistant at Ohio State) and the timing of getting to know his Retriever staff, familiarizing himself with the ’27 commits, adjusting his lens for the ’28s, getting practice started this week and preparing for the first conversations with juniors next Wednesday. It's an insightful glimpse into his whirlwind of July and August.

Four PLL teams remain, peaking at the right time for the right to play in mountainous Salt Lake City this weekend.

IL's Chris Rosenthall and Kevin Brown are back to recap the PLL Quarterfinals with takeaways from the Outlaws and Cannons' victories before diving into where the Redwoods and Whipsnakes go from here after bowing out.

From the Denver four Tewaaraton winners being back together to Boston's defense peaking at the right time, their quarterfinal wins set up some scintillating semifinal matchups against the Archers and Waterdogs. Rosie previews the offseasons ahead for the exiting quarterfinal teams, taking a look at the top  free agents for California and Maryland while giving Rob Pannell his flowers after an emotional final game of the season (and possibly career).

From the natural narratives of Brennan O'Neill playing against the Utah defense to the built-up animosity of past matchups between Boston and Philly, the final four aren't just peaking at the right time, but also have the most intrigue. Whether it's the boos raining down from the Salt Lake City crowd for every O'Neill touch or the beef between the Cannons and Waterdogs, the intensity will be incredible. Come for the analysis on what Denver and Boston need to do better in the semis, stay for the ref decision Rosie brings up that makes Kevin break. The two end with a big-picture look at what a title would mean for the remaining semifinalists in the grand scheme of things when it comes to legacies, re-establishing a dynasty or building one.

Around this time every year, dozens of parents of high school prospects ask IL's Terry Foy some version of the question, "How does recruiting work?"

In an effort to round out that answer, he's interviewing DI men's lacrosse coaches about their process, continuing the fourth year of the "How Recruiting Works" series with Johns Hopkins coach Peter Milliman.

The discussion begins as Milliman's traces the evolution of his principles of play and how they intersect with the way the game is played. From there, he outlines how his staff works together to develop a recruiting board, how he relies on his relationships high school and club coaches to get feedback on prospects (sharing a favorite nugget on the topic) and ends with a discussion of how the unique elements of the Blue Jays' athletic department — chiefly being a predominantly Division III institution in the Big Ten — informs how he regards on the ongoing changes in college athletics.