Connor DeSimone knows all about position changes. He played midfield his first two years of high school at Smithtown East on Long Island, then switched to attack. The change suited him. He scored 60 goals and added 54 assists as a senior and was the MVP of the Under Armour All-America game.

When he got to Johns Hopkins, the Blue Jays already had Kyle Marr, Shack Stanwick and Cole Williams as a starting attack unit. With that numbers game, DeSimone went back to midfield, where his size, ability to play some defense and especially his speed were utilized over the last three seasons — all as a starter.

But a new staff at Homewood brought new ideas, and coach Peter Milliman told DeSimone in the preseason he thought he would be a better attackman than midfielder and planned to try him out there.

“Ever since then, I haven’t looked back,” DeSimone said.

There’s no argument with the early returns. DeSimone scored three goals and added an assist in the Blue Jays’ 14-8 loss at Ohio State on Saturday. The overall result wasn’t what anyone in Hopkins’ program hoped for, but DeSimone’s assertiveness (he was involved in four of the team’s first five goals) was encouraging.

“He’s been consistent so far since we started practice,” Milliman said. “I think he’s fitting in well with the group and finding a good role there, taking some leadership opportunities. I think there were a couple points in time I think he just needed to shoulder some of the load and find a way to get in front of the net, and he did that.”

It’s been a challenging year for Milliman and his staff, who were hired in a pandemic and weren’t involved in any fall workouts before dealing with a preseason spent dealing with various health protocols. But at least over the last couple months, the coaches have gotten to know players in a way that wasn’t previously possible.

That’s had a significant impact on the Blue Jays’ offensive personnel, who can finally interact with coordinator John Grant Jr. DeSimone praised the bonds Grant has already formed and noted the legendary attackman hops in drills and shoots on goalies, while also serving as a sounding board.

“I think he’s the ultimate players’ coach,” DeSimone said. “You can have conversations with him and shoot ideas back and forth. He’ll say, ‘This is what I think, this is what I think benefits you, this is what I think is great for your game.’ I think it’s awesome because you develop as a player a lot faster than [with] a coach who focuses on the team as a whole. He’s your own personal coach to every single one of the offensive guys.”

That includes the likes of Williams and junior attackmen Joey Epstein, who were the Blue Jays’ two most recognizable returning players. But as Saturday illustrated, it hasn’t taken long for DeSimone to settle in as an attackman.

Again.

“Joey’s been great, and the upperclassmen have been great bringing me back to my old ways,” DeSimone said. “It’s been a lot of fun. I was really excited. I love attack, and it’s an awesome position and I was just excited to get back down there and do what I’ve been doing ever since high school.”