PressBox recently chatted with Maryland men’s lacrosse junior AJ Larkin about his favorite high school memories, developing as a player in College Park and more. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound long-stick midfielder picked up 19 ground balls and caused five turnovers in 2024. Larkin is a native of Baltimore and graduate of Loyola Blakefield.
PressBox: How did you first become interested in lacrosse?
AJ Larkin: I’d say I first became interested in lacrosse when I was a kid. My dad put a stick in my hands. I was playing bobblehead lacrosse, kind of just helmets and gloves ever since I could run with a bunch of my close family friends and cousins. My dad, [Ryan Casey Larkin], played in college as well. Him putting a stick in my hands and just looking up to him is mainly how I got started.
PB: What is bobblehead lacrosse?
AL: It’s like kids’ soccer when somebody has the ball and all the kids are around the ball who can’t even really play soccer. It’s just that with lacrosse. I was probably about 4 or 5, so not really knowing what was going on yet, just running around chasing the ball like a chicken with its head cut off.
PB: Who was the biggest influence on your game growing up?
AL: I would have to say my dad again. He played at Loyola University and then went on to play for Team Toyota and the Annapolis Bayhawks, played a little box as well. The reflection of the game that he gave me and the awesome connections that he taught me growing up and how passionate he was about the sport, it inspired me to just love the game.
PB: How did having your dad around help you develop as a lacrosse player?
AL: Growing up, having him around not only motivated to be a great player and strive to be better than he was — because that was his goal — but also teaching me to love the game and just find the little parts of every time you go out there and play, just going out there and having fun. He was my coach growing up all the way to elementary school to middle school. Even though some of the days were hard going into the car and getting an earful from him, I just knew that it was all love and that he just wanted the best for me. That really pushed me and motivated me to work my hardest every day and go out there with an open mind to play the game that I love. That helped me in the recruiting process because he taught me that no matter the skill or talent I have that hard work will beat it all.
PB: What are your favorite memories at Loyola Blakefield?
AL: My junior year we were in COVID, which was pretty unfortunate but we were blessed to have a season. Loyola had very strict COVID rules. Like if I went to English class and somebody got COVID, I would need to go into quarantine. So me and a bunch of seniors all went to my house every day for the whole spring and just did online school. That was actually a pretty special time for me. It was definitely the most fun I had because I just got so close with the seniors, guys like Charlie Koras and Kevin Tucker who are on the Maryland team. Getting so close with them over the course of those three months [is what] made my team at Loyola, especially as a junior during COVID, so special.
PB: Why did you choose to go to Maryland?
AL: I chose to go to Maryland because of the culture of the team that we have here as well as the location of the school. It’s far enough from home where I can feel like I’m living by myself but close enough where if something went wrong I could go and be with my family. My family’s extremely important to me, so being there for them is obviously what I try to do but also them being there for me and how they support me at games. Or even having a lot of my close intermediate family live in Baltimore and having them come to watch was a big deal for me during the recruiting process. I also have a godson that’s 5 that I want to play lacrosse, so having him being involved and coming to see games is definitely a big part of it as well. [Coaches John Tillman and Jesse Bernhardt] are I believe the two best coaches in the game. Their influence and how they treat every day is pretty inspiring and motivating.
PB: What is the role of a long-stick midfielder in John Tillman’s system?
AL: I would say the role of a long-stick midfielder in Coach Tillman’s system is to be able to handle controlled chaos in different situations of the game while also being able to be trusted by the offense with great stick skills and not being a problem if you go down on offense and being able to push in transition — and also being very important in the middle of the field, whether that be riding or clearing but also a big part of our game is faceoffs. Just kind of handling that controlled chaos while also being very trustworthy and having extreme versatility in kind of knowing a role no matter where you are on the field.
PB: You didn’t play at all as a freshman. What’s the process like at Maryland to get to the point where you’re playing a lot?
AL: I would say especially when I was being recruited, obviously everybody’s goal is to play no matter what level you get to or no matter where you go. That’s why you practice every day. That’s why you work hard. Coming into Maryland, I never expected to play, especially my freshman year because of how great the players that were here. Freshman year I went to practice at my position every day with guys like Brett Makar, Ajax Zappitello, John Geppert, d-middies like Nick Redd. Another part when I was being recruited was coming to a university that would develop me not only as a person but develop my skills and [provide] people I could look up to as a player. Going from high school to then my freshman year redshirting and not playing was definitely eye-opening but it was definitely a lesson that I am very grateful for. You’re never always going to get what you want and you’re never always going to come out on top. I’m not saying I was on the bottom or anything like that at all, but I was definitely in a learning curve and I’m really grateful that I got the opportunity to redshirt.
The speed [of the game], especially as a freshman in college, is so much faster, so moving from high school to then college, just picked up so much and being able to take it all in and learn for a year. … I think really when it came my time to get a shot, our coaches talk about it all the time. You never know when your opportunity is going to come. You never know if somebody’s going to get hurt. You never know what’s going to happen, so you just always need to be prepared and ready. That’s something that our coaches harp on all the time. Always stay prepared and always prepare like it’s a game. That’s something we do at practice every day, so I think us at practice pushing ourselves every day and me pushing myself pretty hard allowed me to have that opportunity last year, which was super cool.
PB: What’s your favorite memory at Maryland so far?
AL: My favorite memory at Maryland so far has probably been probably been playing in the Final Four last year. That was a pretty special moment. It was pretty surreal. I always told myself that I’d never go to a Final Four until I played in one growing up. Being on that stage was definitely pretty special, so I would say definitely being there and having the opportunity to play and just be with all my friends in a situation like that was definitely my favorite memory. Also I would add in just being in the locker room every day. I know that’s a pretty broad answer, but being able to hang out with my 50 best friends every day in the locker room and spend time with them are memories that I’ll never forget.
PB: What’s your favorite thing about College Park?
AL: I would say the Chipotle. It’s a very good Chipotle and our team loves it a lot. Other than that, I love the school. I’m a communications major with a business minor and a real estate development minor. Having access to so many different academic [paths] is also pretty special in College Park.
PB: Who was a player you looked up to when you first got to Maryland?
AL: I would say when I was freshman it was Brett Makar and John Geppert. Brett was just an extraordinary leader and obviously he was a great player. I think his resume kind of speaks for itself. He was just pretty extraordinary. I played the same position as [Geppert] did. Freshman year I would watch film and just see how he would do things because I thought he was very successful at what he did and he was extremely helpful to this Maryland team. I think those were two guys I definitely looked up to. And then last year was definitely Ajax [Zappitello]. He is one of my best friends. I cherish my relationship with him a lot. Obviously another pretty extraordinary player, but the way he cared about Maryland and the sport was something special to watch as well.
PB: What advice do you have for younger players going through the recruiting process?
AL: Take your time. I think it’s pretty easy to be rushed and have your mind get cluttered by all the shiny objects that could be around you, that coaches could be talking to you about. I’d say keep calm and slow down. You’re talking to coaches about the next four years of your life. Those four years are going to set you up for the rest of your life. Sit down with your parents and make that decision not only thinking about lacrosse or the coaches or the people that are there because those things are all important, but also think about the way this is going to set you up. Is that the right place for you? I think [that] is my advice.
PB: What are your goals for after lacrosse?
AL: I would say my goals for after lacrosse are to get into marketing of some sort. I would like to just be happy, I think. I don’t really have any specific plans. I still have, including this season, three seasons left, so I’ll be here for a little bit. I think after lacrosse, [I want to find] something I love and work hard at it, have a family and stay close to all my friends that I meet here and before, obviously in high school as well. Maybe working in marketing or sales or communications of some sort, I believe, would be I think the best avenue for me.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Maryland Athletics
Issue 291: February / March 2025
Originally published Feb. 19, 2025