PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Following the collegiate lacrosse season comes the professional lacrosse season in the summer. Across the Premier Lacrosse League, PLL teams are heading to training camps ahead of the first set of games beginning on May 30. Ahead of this season, 13 former Scarlet Knight players, plus one current Scarlet Knight assistant coach, are with PLL teams in training camp.

Knights in the PLL, 2025:

Maryland Whipsnakes: Joe Nardella, Matthew Paolatto

Nardella is a five-time all-star in the PLL who led the league last season by winning 67 percent of his faceoffs. Nardella is one of the top faceoff men in the world, including time with Team USA. He has played professionally outdoors since 2015 with the Boston Cannons and Atlanta Blaze in the MLL, then has been with the Whipsnakes in the PLL since 2019. At Rutgers, Nardella was a two-time All-American, the Big Ten Specialist of the Year and First Team All-Big Ten as a senior and was a two-time all-conference selection in the BIG EAST.

Matthew Paolatto is the newest Scarlet Knight in the PLL, joining a former RU alumn in Nardella as faceoff specialists for the Whipsnakes. The club picked him up following a strong showing in his lone season as a Scarlet Knight in 2025, where he was named an All-American after winning 59.2% of his faceoffs, second in the Big Ten, while also scooping 99 ground balls.
 
Carolina Chaos: Jules Heningburg, Shane Knobloch, Ross Scott, Adam Charalambides

The Chaos offense is loaded with former Scarlet Knights, with four RU products on that side of the field.

Heningburg is set for his second season with the Chaos after appearing in the All-Star game last year, his fourth all-star game appearance at the pro level. The Maplewood, N.J. native has 90 goals and 54 assists in his pro career. At Rutgers, he was a two-time All-American and two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection, finishing second all-time at Rutgers in points.

Knobloch is set for his second season with the Chaos. After being the fourth overall selection in 2024, he scored 11 goals in his first season. AT RU, he was a four-time All-American, three-time All-Conference, Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Big Ten Media of Honor recipient and the USILA's Midfielder of the Year.

Scott joined Knobloch as a Chaos draft pick last year, and the Third Round selection had an impressive debut season with 15 goals. At RU, he was a three-time All-American and three-time all-conference selection, recording 182 career points.

Charalambides is approaching his first season with the Cannons after a strong indoor campaign with the NLL's Vancouver Warriors, helped the team reach the playoffs with a career-best 84 points (30 goals, 54 assists) across 18 regular season games. Previously, Charalambides has played in five PLL games across two seasons with the Cannons. He was a two-time First Team All-Big Ten and 2021 All-American at RU, he totaled 149 goals (second all-time at RU) and 201 points (fifth all-time in program history).

New York Atlas: Michael Rexrode, Drake Porter

Rexrode is an established PLL defenseman, with an all-star game and All-Pro appearance on his resume. Entering his fifth PLL season with the Atlas after three years in the MLL, Rexrode has played in 70 career games with 125 ground balls and 72 caused turnovers. A standout defenseman at Rutgers, he was a two-time All-American, two-time First Team All-Big Ten and the 2018 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

Rutgers assistant coach Drake Porter recently completed his first season on the team's coaching staff, working with the specialists. The goalkeeper returns to the Atlas, where he previously saw action in three games in the cage in 2023. Collegiately at Syracuse, Porter was a two-time All-American in 2020 and 2021 and led the ACC in save percentage in 2019.

California Redwoods - Ronan Jacoby

Jacoby is set to join the Redwoods, his third PLL squad. He last played for the Atlast in 2024, with two goals and three assists across six games, and also played for the Outlaws in the Champ Series. Jacoby was a member of the 2022 Final Four Team who scored 37 goals for that squad to earn Second Team All-Big Ten and Honorable Mention All-American honors.

Boston Cannons – Colin Kirst, Connor Kirst, Ethan Rall, Brian Cameron

Colin Kirst, a two-time All-American and two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection at RU, has grown into one of the top goalkeepers in the PLL. He has played in 24 career PLL games in the cage, with a 54.4% save percentage, making 289 saves and scooping 50 ground balls.

Connor Kirst was an All-American and First Team All-Big Ten selection in 2021 at RU.  A versatile player, Kirst has played in 41 career PLL games, scoring 32 goals with five assists and 62 ground balls. After three seasons with the Whipsnakes, he broke out with 11 goals in his debut season for the Cannons last year.

Rall was a three-time All-American (twice being named to the First Team) and three-time all-Big Ten selection while at RU. A two-time All-Pro at long-stick midfield, Rall has played in 22 games with 34 caused turnovers and 67 ground balls, also scoring three goals with an assist.

Brian Cameron is looking to make his PLL debut after being picked up by the Cannons after a strong debut in the NLL with the Toronto Rock this winter. Cameron, who played the 2022 and 2023 seasons at RU, scoring 60 goals with 19 assists, played in 12 games for the Rock indoors with nine goals and 14 assists.

Philadelphia Waterdogs: Christian Scarpello

Scarpello, who played in 60 games 'On the Banks' as a short-stick defensive midfielder from 2015-2018 (13 goals, 24 assists, 121 ground balls, 42 caused turnovers), is on the PUP list for the Waterdogs. A league champion in 2022, he has played in four seasons for the Waterdogs. He has seen action in 37 career games with two goals and three assists, along with 47 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers.  

Rutgers men's lacrosse has established a strong pipeline to the professional ranks. Rutgers boasts a total of 45 alumni all-time between Major League Lacrosse (MLL), the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) and the National Lacrosse League (NLL). This success placing players in the pros has been accelerated recently, with 33 alumni coached at RU by current head coach Brian Brecht to go on to the professional level.