(Photo Courtesy of Jacksonville Athletics)

This past spring, the Jacksonville Dolphins were the darlings of the darlings of the season.

John Galloway’s squad went 14-3 and reached the SoCon title game. Big wins over Duke and Denver, as well as SoCon foes Richmond and High Point proved to be the highlights of what was the best season in program history.

One aspect of this past year’s Jacksonville team was its stellar offense. The Dolphins ended the season second in scoring offense (16.06 goals per game), team shooting percentage (38.1%) and offensive efficiency (35.9%). Without a doubt, Dolphins touted one of the most effective offenses in college lacrosse this past spring.

As good as the 2022 version of the Dolphins offense was, it should be expected that the 2023 version of the Jacksonville offense is just as good, if not better, than what we saw from that unit this past spring.

Last season, Tufts grad transfer Max Waldbaum led the way for the Dolphins last season with 72 points off 48 goals and 24 assists. Fellow attackmen Jacob Greiner (51G/18A) and Jackson Intrieri (31G/30A) were the Dolphins’ second and third-leading scorers with 69 and 61 points, respectively, to create what was one of the most productive attack units in college lacrosse with 202 points (130 goals) between the three.

Of that heralded attack, all three will be back in 2023. And so too will the Dolphins’ sixth, eighth, ninth, and 10th leading point-getters. Ethan LaMond (16G/2A) was one of the team’s most valuable players to come off the bench, as was Marshall McGuire (4G/11A). Brendan McKenna (8G/8A) started the final six games at midfield. Tucker Garrity (6G/8A) was the Dolphins’ tenth-leading scorer as a short-stick defensive midfielder.

All in all, Jacksonville’s returning top-10 scorers will return with them a total of 301 points. Jack Dolan (16G/22A), Tyler Corpora (18G/9A), and Jeremy Winston (16G/1A) are the only three players whom will not return in 2023 that served as top-10 point-getters in 2022.

But while the Dolphins do return an offense that brings back so much talent and production from a year ago, especially at the attack position, the hype around this Jacksonville offense heading into next spring also revolves around who John Galloway and this staff will be brining in.

Branded as Transfer U, the Dolphins have once again utilized the transfer portal this offseason to help bolster and improve their roster. And the two additions thus far have been on the offensive end of the field.

In late May, it was announced that Georgetown star Dylan Watson would be heading to the Sunshine State to play his fifth and final season of eligibility of college lacrosse with the Jacksonville Dolphins.

Named the 2022 Big East Attackman of The Year, Watson  64 points off 58 goals and six assists for the Hoyas this past spring. He ended the year as the team’s leader in goals and second-leading point-getter.

Hailing from north of the border and with a box background, Watson has been one of the best inside finishers in college lacrosse. He’s greasy and has some of the best paws in college lacrosse, which allows him to slip behind defenses and often get those finishing opportunities right on the crease. His inside finishing skills will fit in well with this attack unit that showed to be pretty balanced last season with Greiner being the shooter and Waldbaum running the show as a great dodger and initiator, while the freshman Intrieri did a little bit of everything.

In addition to Watson, the Dolphins have also added UMBC midfield grad transfer Brandon Galloway. A second-team All-America East selection in 2021, Galloway netted 24 goals and dished out three assists as the Retrievers’ leading goal-scorer and second-leading point-getter. He only played in one game this past season for UMBC.

At Jacksonville, Galloway adds another threat to the midfield for the Dolphins and can help replace the losses they have at the position.

2023 will bring some changes to Jacksonville lacrosse as they move to the now 10-team Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN). However, one thing that won’t change is just how deadly the Dolphins’ offense could be.