Sam English selected by California Redwoods with 3rd overall pick of PLL Draft
With Sam English drafted third overall in the PLL Draft, he becomes SU's highest-picked player since Brett Kennedy in 2022 at sixth overall. Aaron Hammer | Staff Photographer
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The California Redwoods selected Syracuse midfielder Sam English with the third overall pick of the 2025 Premier Lacrosse League Draft Tuesday. English is the highest-picked SU player in the PLL since defenseman Brett Kennedy went sixth overall to the Carolina Chaos in 2022.
The Redwoods’ general manager, Joe Spallina, is the father of Joey Spallina — English’s teammate of two years at Syracuse. The club hired Joe in March after former head coach and general manager Nat St. Laurent stepped down from both roles.
This past Sunday, before the Orange took the field in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game against Duke, Joe posted on X about his excitement to scout SU’s top professional prospects.
“Fired up to watch MY guys,” Joe wrote, announcing he was en route to watch the Orange.
English helped SU beat Duke 9-8 in the ACC Championship by contributing to the suffocation of the Blue Devils’ offense — which never found its footing against the Orange. In 16 games this year, English has totaled 20 goals, 11 assists, 49 ground ball pickups and 10 caused turnovers, flashing his dominance as a two-way midfielder.
That versatility makes English stand out among other top PLL Draft prospects this year. He’s virtually played throughout every game this season for Syracuse as its most highly-used player. He’s a first-line midfielder, a crucial fixture on clears, a man-down stalwart and a skilled winger on the faceoff unit. He simply does it all, propelling him to be one of the most valuable players in the PLL Draft.
English is an experienced, battle-tested player, spending six seasons in college — five of which he played in. He was at Princeton from 2020-23, earning a Tewaaraton Award Watch List selection in his final year there, before transferring to SU ahead of the 2024 season. English tallied 34 points as a senior in 2024, and this year, as a graduate student, the midfielder has captained the Orange to the No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
English’s next step after Syracuse is now confirmed. Until then, though, he’ll be zeroed in on helping deliver a deep postseason run for the Orange.
“He’s very well established,” SU offensive coordinator Pat March told The Daily Orange in January, “but I also think that, obviously, he wants to be holding that trophy up at the end of the year.”
