As a kid growing up in Syracuse, N.Y., Eric DeJohn always wanted to play college lacrosse for Syracuse.

And in 2012, he got that opportunity. DeJohn came to his dream school, only to redshirt his freshman year before not seeing the field for a single minute as a redshirt freshman.

It was then that DeJohn decided to seek a new beginning. At the conclusion of the fall 2013 semester, he chose to transfer to St. John’s and leave the program he grew up admiring.

“I always wanted to go there growing up,” DeJohn said. “But at the end of the day, thinking about everything, I just felt like I needed a fresh start.”

On Saturday, DeJohn will have a chance to compete against his old team when No. 20 St. John’s (2-2) takes on No. 9 Syracuse (2-2, 0-2 Atlantic Coast) in the Cobb County Lacrosse Classic in Kennesaw, Ga. After switching from attack to midfield, DeJohn catapulted his way into the starting lineup three games into the season. Through four games, DeJohn has scored two goals and dished out two assists.

He attended Jamesville-Dewitt (N.Y.) High School, home to one of the most storied high school lacrosse programs in the state, where he tallied a total of 195 goals and 62 assists, helping the Red Rams win a Class B state title during his senior season in 2010.

DeJohn then played at Trinity-Pawling School (N.Y.) in 2011 while taking a post-graduate year before joining the Orange.

After two seasons passed with zero game appearances at SU, DeJohn was compelled to make a move to further his lacrosse career. He reached out to St. John’s, trudged through the required paperwork and was relieved when it was all over.

Since DeJohn never played a single game, was in good academic standing, changing conferences and received permission from Syracuse, he’s allowed to play for the Red Storm in 2014 without having to sit out a season.

Kevin Rice, a junior attack for SU who spent two years playing the same position as DeJohn, is glad to see that he landed on his feet with another chance to succeed.

“Eric’s a great player,” Rice said. “I know it wasn’t really working out for him in terms of playing time here, and I think he wanted to have a fresh opportunity and a chance to play somewhere.”

This is still DeJohn’s first semester with the Red Storm, and he has already adjusted to the new lifestyle both on and off the field. St. John’s head coach Jason Miller said he has gelled with his teammates and is living off-campus with some of them.

DeJohn said one of the similarities between Syracuse and St. John’s is the competitive spirit. By bringing his all and being fully committed every day, DeJohn has easily meshed with his new teammates.

“I think to his credit he did a really good job of getting to know the guys,” Miller said. “And not only respecting them, but earning their respect as a player and as a person and it was a pretty easy transition from my perspective.”

One of the main differences between Syracuse and St. John’s is the offense that each team runs. St. John’s brings more of an emphasis on dodging toward the goal in an effort to score, whereas Syracuse dodges to set up passes.

And as a converted midfielder, DeJohn said this different tactic accentuates his skill set. DeJohn’s aptitude to aggressively go to goal and shoot well helps him provide another spark to an already talented offense, Miller said.

“Having him here gives us another weapon offensively,” Miller said. “It’s never a bad situation to have too many of those.”

It’s something DeJohn was never close to at SU.

Instead of standing on the sideline, now he’s become an important part of a team coming off its best season in school history. He’s made the most of his transfer and revived his lacrosse career.

Despite all of his ties to Syracuse, DeJohn said he views the game against the Orange as just another on the schedule.

Said DeJohn: “Going in the same way as I always go. I always go into every game amped up, feeling aggressive, ready to go. It won’t be different from any other game.”

Published on March 6, 2014 at 12:08 am

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