Garrett Degnon spent much of his early career at Johns Hopkins as a reserve midfielder, but that changed as his career evolved.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Degnon played in 46 games for the Blue Jays from 2021-2023, starting 41. He posted 104 goals, 14 assists and 52 ground balls during that time. He earned an All-Big Ten Tournament Team selection in 2021 and second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2022 and 2023.
Degnon earned a starting midfield spot during the 2021 season, then moved to attack in 2022. Wherever he played, he turned heads, including those of his coaching staff.
“The length probably helps his velocity,” Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse head coach Peter Milliman said. “He’s got long legs, long arms and that helps him with his shot. He’s got good hands as well and he just always contributed.”
A three-year varsity player for the decorated DeMatha lacrosse program, Degnon was accustomed to change. The Harwood, Md., native was a left-handed attackman growing up, idolizing the players at his position at the college and professional levels. Playing attack was his dream, but getting to college and the chance to play at the highest level came with a move to midfield. Degnon excelled, earning an Honorable Mention All-Metro selection by The Washington Post as a senior.
As a midfielder at Hopkins, one of Degnon’s biggest responsibilities was running out of the box and taking on defenders. He would play on offense for a possession and immediately run off the field. He looked forward to shifting to attack and getting back to what allowed him to make the varsity squad as a sophomore at DeMatha.
“I obviously like being on the field for the entire game,” Degnon said while chuckling. “I like being able to make a play whenever and not really having to sub on. The close defenders who guard attack are all really good. The opponents got tougher, and I just had to learn how to learn the offense better and be a smarter player more than anything.”
A position switch wasn’t the only change Degnon experienced with the Blue Jays. Hopkins parted ways with Dave Pietramala, the winningest head coach in program history, following the COVID-shortened 2020 season and replaced him with Milliman, the former head coach at Cornell.
Degnon always wanted to be a lacrosse player for Johns Hopkins from the day that he began playing. The coaching change wouldn’t affect that goal.
“I was always going to stay at Hopkins because it was close to home, there’s a great education and arguably, the best lacrosse program in the history [of the sport],” Degnon said. “So, the coaching change never really influenced me about whether or not I was going to stay or not.”
That was music to Milliman’s ears. From the moment that they met, Milliman saw greatness emanating from the rangy lacrosse star.
Degnon is “a first-class competitor,” according to Milliman, who formed a strong bond with the goal-scorer.
“He’s an exceptional leader, a competitor and a great teammate,” Milliman said. “Guys love him, they love being around him and he did a really good job of setting an example to demand more out of his teammates. I think the guys really appreciated their opportunity to work with him and be led by him.”
Milliman also saw a player who can always remain flexible. After an attackman suffered an injury in 2022, Degnon stepped up.
“I thought he did such a good job there that we were just going to leave him in that spot,” Milliman said. “It was almost by accident. But he really earned it and deserved it. I was happy to leave him there.”
Degnon did not immediately enjoy success at Hopkins, however. He appeared in just three games as a freshman in 2019 but ended up starting the final 41 games of his career. He scored 41 goals as a senior in 2023, helping lift the Blue Jays to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
“I’ve reiterated this to a handful of them already, but it’s that you’re not stuck where you are on the chart,” Degnon said of his advice for Hopkins lacrosse players. “It’s more that if you care enough about yourself, you can make it happen. My freshman year, I was the only offensive player not to travel. So, I was pretty much the worst player on the team and I was pretty bummed about it.”
Degnon worked on his craft by watching film, training with and without his lacrosse stick and being willing to change. After the summer of 2020, he returned to Hopkins a better player. He finished the 2021 season fourth on the team in points with 25.
“I just say put into it what you expect to get out of it and just work hard and if you care enough, you’re going to get wherever you want to go,” Degnon said.
Degnon’s departure from Johns Hopkins means that life after college lacrosse is now a reality. The Johns Hopkins star is interested in wealth management after he finishes his MBA at Johns Hopkins’ Carey Business School. He has also been able to connect with some alumni to build a strong bond.
Degnon hopes to start his own business in a decade when he’s in his mid-30s and eventually create a nonprofit. Several of his teammates’ fathers have done the same and he believes that he can assist a few others.
“I want to help individuals grow, efficiently allocate their wealth or invest their money in something to continue to build upon it,” Degnon said. “Helping people has always been a passion of mine — assisting them with their finances and helping them be financially literate.”
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Johns Hopkins Athletics
Originally published June 15, 2023