Maryland men’s lacrosse got a commitment from an eighth-grader

Maryland didn’t become a men’s lacrosse powerhouse without a steady pipeline of the nation’s best high school prospects. During his tenure in College Park, head coach John Tillman has consistently brought in some of the nation’s best recruiting classes, including the seventh-ranked 2016 class.

With an already-stellar 2017 class lined up, Tillman picked up another commit that fans won’t be seeing for quiet some time.

Eric Spanos, a product of Malvern Prep (Pa.), became the first commit for Maryland’s 2021 Class, as first reported by Ty Xanders of Recruiting Rundown.

Yes, you read that right. The Class of ‘21 means he’s currently an eighth grader.

This makes Spanos the earliest commit for boy’s lacrosse in the history of the sport. Johns Hopkins commit Chase LaDirdo committed to the Blue Jays at the age of 14 for the class of 2020, so early recruiting early for lacrosse isn’t exactly unheard of. Still, Spanos hasn’t even gone through high school freshman orientation, and he’s already committed to one of the best lacrosse programs in the country.

Having a player committed this far in advance is exciting both for Tillman and Spanos, but there’s a lot that could happen in between now and when Spanos will be ready to sign his name to the dotted line. The NCAA Division I council proposed legislation that would restrict contact between colleges and recruits until Sept. 1 of the athlete’s junior year of high school.

Whether that will affect current recruits, or even get passed, is still in the works. For now, Maryland has a recruit that will see the field by the time Cole Field House is completely renovated.