Joey Spallina taken No. 3 overall by Maryland Whipsnakes in 2026 PLL Draft
Joey Spallina was selected No. 3 overall by the Maryland Whipsnakes in the 2026 PLL Draft. Spallina leads the Orange with 60 points in 2026. Eli Schwartz | Asst. Photo Editor
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Syracuse attack Joey Spallina was selected No. 3 overall by the Maryland Whipsnakes in the Premier Lacrosse League Draft. Spallina is the first SU player selected this year and the Orange’s second consecutive top-three selection in the PLL Draft, after Sam English in 2025.
Spallina has been preparing to be a pro since his adolescence. He spent his youth on sidelines of Major League Lacrosse games, watching his father, Joe, coach the New York Lizards. Joe is now the general manager of the California Redwoods. The two could’ve teamed up, but Spallina didn’t fall to the Redwoods’ selection at No. 6.
In four seasons at Syracuse, Spallina has put up record-setting numbers. With 306 career points, he’s two points away from breaking Mike Powell’s all-time program record, which he’ll likely shatter this weekend versus Colgate. Spallina recorded 68 points as a freshman, but SU missed the NCAA Tournament. He upped that total to 88 and 90 the next two seasons, with the Orange making the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals and the Final Four.
This season, Spallina’s on a quest to finish his career with Syracuse’s first national championship since 2009. It’s been his goal since he came to campus as the No. 1 recruit in the 2022 class. Labeled a lacrosse phenom, Spallina became the face of Syracuse’s program turnaround.
In 2022, the Orange won a program-worst four games and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007. Despite not making the postseason in Spallina’s freshman season, SU has been uber-competitive since then, and that success has been greatly due to Spallina averaging 4.7 points per game in his career.
“That’s just super valuable in the PLL, where you just need an attacker that you can trust to make the right decisions, and someone that just knows how to score and find open teammates,” PLL Draft expert Adam Lamberti told The Daily Orange in February. “And, obviously, that’s something that (Spallina’s) been doing his whole career.”
Spallina joins a crowded Whipsnakes attack headlined by Rob Pannell, Aidan Carroll and T.J. Malone.
