24 Brennan O'Neill

No matter the hype, Brennan O'Neill has lived up to it.

Now 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, O'Neill began turning heads as a youth player and made waves when he committed to play at Penn State as an eighth grader. He later switched his commitment to Duke, but his production never changed, nor did his style.

O'Neill starred at Long Island power St. Anthony's, punctuating his junior season with a seven-goal performance in a 14-13 victory over Chaminade. Five of his seven goals came in the second half of the victory and he finished the year as the US Lacrosse Magazine National Player of the Year.

That summer O'Neill showed out on the big stage against the nation's top young players, earning a spot on the U.S. U19 team. The COVID-19 pandemic wiped out O'Neill's senior season, but the layoff didn't affect his impact at the next level.

O'Neill earned a starting spot at preseason No. 1 Duke as a freshman in 2021 and scored three goals in his debut, a win over Denver. He never slowed up and was named the ACC Freshman of the Year and an honorable mention All-American. In 2022, he was named a second team All-American after leading Duke in scoring (53 goals and 74 points) for the second straight season. He continued his ascension by being named the Tewaaraton Award winner in 2023.

After two delays, World Lacrosse was finally able to hold the U21 world championship in Ireland in 2022. O'Neill led the U.S. team to a gold medal with team bests of 18 goals and 25 points.