Cornell lacrosse legend Rob Pannell talks upcoming PLL season, reveals his 2026 NCAA tournament favorites

On his boldest prediction for the 2026 PLL season…

“I don't want to jinx myself by saying that I'm going to break the points record that I'm very close to breaking, but … (Whipsnakes rookie attackman) Joey Spallina is going to be the rookie of the year in the PLL.”

On which NCAA lacrosse team stands out heading into the 2026 tournament…

“Honestly, there isn't one, and I think that's what makes Selection Sunday and this tournament so exciting. I think right now, you probably have about six teams, maybe eight teams, that can beat anybody on any given day. Everyone said Notre Dame, and then they beat Duke by one … I'm not sold on them yet. And, you know, they haven't put up goals. UNC, everybody was hot on, and they've lost. They got exposed a little bit in the past games. Everybody’s excited about Princeton, but, you know, their defense lets in a ton of goals. So, you can outscore them. I love Cornell again. I think Cornell is playing great lacrosse at the right time. They really only have quality losses. Richmond had a good start to the season. I don't know, they don't play as competitive a schedule as other teams …

“I think there's about six to eight teams that you could honestly say … if you had told me I needed to pick a team, I honestly couldn't. I'd be honest if I really thought there was a team. And I'm just not sure there is … Earlier in the season, I liked Penn State, and I loved Coach Jeff Tambroni there, but then they lost to Navy, and then lost to another team that was a terrible loss. But their losses are all by a goal. They just beat Maryland. So I think it's anybody's tournament. You've got to get hot at the right time. You need your face-off guy to get hot, and you need your goalie to get hot. Whatever team happens to get hot, they'll probably have a good chance of winning.”

On if he’d consider coaching college lacrosse at Cornell or another school…

“I don't know, collegiately, I don't know if that's in the cards. I think the PLL is interesting to think about. I'm more interested, honestly, in the GM side of things and putting together the right roster and personnel. That would be fun, kind of the business side of things. When I retire, I think I'm definitely going to take some time off from the sport of lacrosse and focus on family and just being around my wife more. I've been away a lot over the years. So that'll probably be the focus … I have nieces and nephews who play. I'm going to do a little speed and agility lesson with my nine-year-old niece and her friend right now…

“So that’s the stuff I'll probably do, and I love working with some talented kids. I work with a select handful of girls and boys in the tri-state area. That's always fun, but I'm not sure college coaching is in the cards. My wife tells me it's only in the cards if the UNC job opens up because that's where she went. And she'd be okay with me coaching down at UNC.”

On what attracted him to partner with CityLax…

“First and foremost, (CityLax founder) Mat Levine, whom I call the godfather of lacrosse in New York City, is such an amazing person. And when he asked me to get involved, he's a tough man to say no to because of how much he's done for the sport of lacrosse. Second, you know, the best thing we can do in our lives is to give back to something that's given so much to us. I really can't find a better way than trying to grow the sport of lacrosse in New York City, all five boroughs, and providing for kids who have never had the opportunity to play the game. As a result of that, you change the trajectory of their lives and allow them opportunities that they would not have had otherwise, and give them something they need to show up to school for every day. That keeps them wanting to stay in school and stay out of trouble…There's nothing better than to be able to do that, and that's what we're doing with CityLax.”

More Links

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