Leo Johnson is a professional lacrosse player who led Yale in points in 2025 and Maryland in 2026 after missing the entire 2024 season through injury.
His final college season brought First Team All-Big Ten and All-American recognition, while the Utah Archers selected him in the 2026 Premier Lacrosse League College Draft. He has since begun his professional career and co-founded a Connecticut training program for younger players.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Greenwich, Connecticut |
| High school | Avon Old Farms |
| Colleges | Yale and Maryland |
| College position | Attack |
| Current team | Utah Archers |
| Professional position | Midfield |
| College career points | 220 |
| Professional project | Co-founder of XD10 Academy |
Avon Old Farms Prepared Johnson for Division I Lacrosse
Johnson began his high school career at Greenwich before transferring to Avon Old Farms. Yale’s institutional record credits him with 146 points across two seasons at Avon and identifies him as the first player in the school’s history to serve as a two-time captain.
He also received Under Armor and Nike All-American recognition in 2021. Inside Lacrosse ranked him sixth among recruits in his class, placing him among the most prominent players entering Division I lacrosse that year.
In a 2019 Inside Lacrosse interview about his commitment, Johnson connected his decision to Yale’s successful, workmanlike culture and the relationships he had built with the coaching staff. Those comments explain his choice rather than leaving the move as a simple entry in his playing record.
His First Two Yale Seasons Produced 126 Points
Johnson immediately joined Yale’s starting attack in 2022. He started all 17 games and finished with 35 goals and 29 assists, placing second on the team in goals, assists and total points.
His 29 assists were the most by a first-year player in Yale history. He recorded at least two points in every game and scored in 16 of his 17 appearances. In the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, he contributed four goals and two assists as Yale defeated Saint Joseph’s.
His production remained consistent in 2023. Johnson accumulated 40 goals and 22 assists for 62 points, giving him 126 points across his first two college seasons. He ranked fourth in the Ivy League in goals per game and earned honorable-mention All-Ivy recognition.
One of his strongest performances came against Cornell in the Ivy League Tournament, where he scored six goals. He also registered four goals and four assists in a victory over Dartmouth.
Injury Removed Him From the Entire 2024 Season
Johnson did not appear in a game during the 2024 campaign. Yale records his season with no playing time, while USA Lacrosse reported that he was one of several Bulldogs starters lost to injury.
The confirmed material did not detail the injury or his rehabilitation process. By October 2024, however, USA Lacrosse documented his return to the field during Yale’s fall-ball schedule in Delaware.
His absence created a full-season interruption after two consecutive 60-point campaigns. It also meant that his 2025 performance would be his first competitive college action since the end of the 2023 season.
Johnson Returned to Lead Yale in 2025
Johnson re-entered Yale’s attack and finished the 2025 season with 26 goals and 20 assists. His 46 points led the Bulldogs, making him the team’s leading scorer immediately after his year without competition.
His largest single-game total came against Dartmouth, when he recorded four goals and four assists. He also produced three goals and three assists at UAlbany and reached 100 career goals against Princeton.
Conference and regional recognition followed. Johnson earned Second Team All-Ivy and First Team All-New England honors. His inclusion on the NEILA All-Academic Team added an academic distinction to his final Yale season.
By the end of 2025, his three active seasons at Yale had produced 101 goals and 71 assists.
Maryland Became His Graduate-Season Destination
Johnson moved to Maryland for the 2026 season as a graduate transfer. The university listed him as an attacker studying Management Studies, and he entered the program alongside several other experienced transfers.
His Maryland debut produced an immediate return. Against Loyola on 7 February, he converted all five of his shots into goals and supplied one assist in a 19–10 victory. Maryland announced him as the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week following that six-point performance.
Johnson started all 13 games and led the Terrapins with 29 goals, 19 assists and 48 points. His 3.7 points-per-game average and 48-point total both ranked second in the Big Ten.
He received First Team All-Big Ten recognition and was named an honorable-mention All-American by USA Lacrosse. By the end of the season, his college totals stood at 130 goals, 90 assists and 220 points.
Johnson also carried a 24-game streak in which he had recorded both a goal and a point. His 220 career points placed him sixth among active college players when Maryland published its final season summary.
His comments after Maryland’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal against Rutgers offered some insight into his approach within the team. Johnson credited the faceoff and defensive units for repeatedly creating possessions, explaining that those opportunities gave the offense confidence. He scored twice in the 13–10 victory, including Maryland’s opening goal seven seconds into the contest.
The Utah Archers Gave Him a Professional Opportunity
The Utah Archers selected Johnson with the 25th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2026 PLL College Draft. That official selection number matters because a later report incorrectly identified him as the 33rd pick.
Johnson had been classified as an attacker throughout college, but Utah’s official profile lists him as a midfielder. The distinction reflects his professional deployment rather than a contradiction in his college record.
He made his PLL debut against the Carolina Chaos on 5 June 2026, scoring his first professional goal. Later that month, he led the Archers with four goals in a game against the California Redwoods during the league’s New York weekend.
Utah coach Chris Bates subsequently praised Johnson’s understanding of the game, enthusiasm for lacrosse, and fit within the group. Those descriptions came from his coach rather than from Johnson himself, but they offer a first-hand professional assessment of his early work with the Archers.
The league currently lists him as No. 4 for Utah, with a contract running through the 2028 season. His move to midfield adds another stage to a career built primarily in attack at Yale and Maryland.
XD10 Academy Extended His Work Beyond Competition
Alongside his professional playing career, Johnson co-founded XD10 Academy with New York Atlas attackman Xander Dickson. The application-based program operates in Stamford, Connecticut, and works with youth and high-school lacrosse players.
Johnson and Dickson are presented as active professional coaches who help players develop technical skills, tactical understanding and mental preparation. The program also emphasizes academic responsibility, resilience and team-first habits.
On the academy’s website, Johnson describes lacrosse as a source of discipline, relationships and motivation to improve. He presents XD10 as his way of giving back by helping younger players develop their ability and commitment to the sport.
The academy identifies Johnson and Dickson as coaches who set its training standards and work directly with developing players.
Consecutive Team-Leading Seasons Defined His Comeback
Johnson finished college with 220 points after recovering from his season-long absence to lead two different programs in consecutive years. His move into professional midfield and player development now places that college comeback in the context of his broader lacrosse career.