The 2025 men’s lacrosse season is underway, with 36 teams kicking off this month. Yet among the 73 NCAA Division I programs, Clemson University has yet to launch a men’s lacrosse team despite the sport’s rapid growth and the University’s appeal.
Lacrosse, one of the oldest sports, has surged in popularity in recent years. Its professional league, the Premier Lacrosse League, was founded in 2018 and plays its seasons during the summer. The sport found its way to Clemson only recently, with the DI Clemson women’s lacrosse team playing its first season in spring 2023.
The Clemson women’s team has quickly found success. In their inaugural season, the Tigers defeated No. 13 Duke, their first win over an ACC foe and a top 25 opponent. Before the next season, Clemson became the first school in the country to have a lacrosse facility dedicated solely to a women’s team, with the opening of the $27.5 million Clemson lacrosse complex. The Tigers have since emerged as a prominent team, securing the No. 1-ranked recruiting class in 2025, according to Inside Lacrosse.
If this kind of investment were placed into a men’s program, the Tigers could easily become an up-and-comer in the men’s lacrosse world.
Unfortunately for Clemson, it would likely join the ACC, which is widely considered the toughest conference in college lacrosse. The ACC has accounted for four out of the last five national champions. Notre Dame claimed the previous two titles, and Virginia won in 2019 and 2021. The rest of the ACC includes Syracuse, Duke and North Carolina, and every ACC team has had at least one national championship title in the last 20 years.
While this seems like an impossibly tough schedule, newcomers have weathered the storm and staked their claims in other conferences. Michigan joined a formidable Big Ten Conference over a decade ago, winning just six conference games through the 2022 season. Since 2023, the Wolverines have won back-to-back conference championships. Through the university’s reputation, funding and recruiting, Michigan was able to energize its men’s lacrosse program.
Clemson could use its tradition-rich athletics and funding to potentially become home to one of the top lacrosse programs—if a men’s team is promoted to DI.
In the meantime, fans can watch club men’s lacrosse at the Snow Family Outdoor Fitness and Wellness Complex on April 5-6, where the team will play its next home games.
