The Disruptor: How Will Donovan Went From Underrecruited To Notre Dame’s Invaluable X-Factor

by Ben Hicks ’28

On May 27, 2023, legendary head coach Kevin Corrigan and Notre Dame men’s lacrosse remained in pursuit of the program’s first national championship. On that sunny Saturday in Philadelphia, it seemed that elusive accomplishment would evade the Irish again as they trailed ACC foe Virginia late in the national semifinal.

Notre Dame had suffered only two defeats all season, both at the hands of the Cavaliers. And they were on their way to a third, before three goals over the final three minutes forced overtime.

With the nation’s two highest-scoring offenses, the opening faceoff of overtime was critical. It initially appeared like Virginia got the best of Notre Dame once more, as Petey LaSalla, who had won over 1,000 faceoffs in his career, controlled the clamp. As the Cavaliers closed in to secure the ground ball, an undersized, underrecruited, and to that point underappreciated true freshman dove full-extension to lodge the ball loose.

Despite his youth, that sequence embodied the disruptiveness Will Donovan has played with across his four years in South Bend. As a long-stick midfielder (LSM), his job is to create chaos. And it was Donovan’s chaos that earned Notre Dame the most crucial possession in program history.

ESPN analyst Quint Kessenich put it best when he said, “That is the definition of Will Donovan.”

Will Donovan made one of the biggest plays in program history with this diving check on the ground ball in OT of the 2023 NCAA Semifinal against UVA.@PLLCannons are getting a DOG.#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/W24vjJwIF3

— Notre Dame Lacrosse (@NDlacrosse) April 15, 2026

From there, Corrigan called timeout, setting up Brian Tevlin to slice through the right side before slotting home the game-winning goal. On Memorial Day Monday, the Irish would exorcise their Duke demons, overcoming losses in the 2010 and 2014 national championships to claim the crown for the first time.

It was an unlikely championship run, saved by an unlikely hero. Hailing from the lacrosse hotbed of Greenwich, Conn., Donovan was a late bloomer, but unrelenting in his quest to become a prized recruiting prospect. 

“I was probably lying on my highlight tape,” Donovan said. “I was actually about 150 pounds,so I was not recruited. I was talking to some D-III schools.”

So how did the then-scrawny high school junior play his way onto Corrigan’s radar? 

“I ended up coming out here for a prospect day, stars happened to align, and I played some of the best lacrosse I’d ever played,” Donovan recalled.

After that impressive showing in January of 2020, Donovan was finally granted some stars by those always-accurate recruiting services, but it wasn’t like his phone started buzzing with high-major coaches dying to recruit him. 

“It was my dream to play at a competitive D-I school, and Notre Dame was going to give me a chance to. No one else was,” he said.

A high school wrestler and hockey player, Donovan then began to narrow his focus on lacrosse, even taking a repeat year to put some more meat on the bones. Regardless, he credited that athletic diversity in helping him develop the critical skills requisite upon entering Corrigan’s program. 

“I played three sports through senior year, which I think helped a lot with developing as an athlete. But lacrosse was always the one I gravitated to the most,” Donovan said.

Donovan knew he was walking into one of the most talented locker rooms in America when he stepped on campus in South Bend in the fall of 2022. He didn’t expect to contribute much as a true freshman, but he once again defied all odds en route to Honorable Mention All-American honors. After appearing in all 16 games to the tune of 27 ground balls, 11 caused turnovers, and  two assists, he was also the only freshman and only LSM selected for the annual All-ACC Team.

“I was lucky to come into a great style of play and to have the mentorship of the defensive guys, who were unbelievably helpful,” Donovan said, crediting the Irish culture for allowing his quick assimilation to the college game.

Donovan, by then a well-built 6-feet tall and 195 pounds, made a massive jump heading into his sophomore season. Although the newly filled-out frame aided his progress, Donovan’s stick skills and creativity positioned him for unique success in Notre Dame’s unique defensive system. 

“A lot of developing was realizing I’m not the guy who’s gonna put a shoulder through someone’s chest. So I probably should figure out how to have a good stick,” he said. “The creativity and the disruptiveness that you can play with is why I love the position.”

He finished 2024 with 33 ground balls, 21 caused turnovers, and a pair of goals, including a crucial one in the wild 18-17 victory over Cornell back home in the Northeast. He repeated on the All-ACC Team and earned Second-Team All-America recognition. More importantly, Donovan helped lead the Irish to a second consecutive national title.

“It’s never been a focus,” Donovan said of the individual accolades he has received “Recognition is nice to hear, but there is only one goal every year and that’s to win a championship.”

brought more personal accomplishments, as Donovan earned First-Team All-American distinction for the first time. But Notre Dame fell short of that ultimate goal, losing a heartbreaker to Penn State in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.

Following that disappointment, a first for Donovan in his collegiate career, he and the rest of the rising senior class committed to reinstilling the culture that makes Notre Dame lacrosse special. 

“It was a recommitment to the things that make us who we are and make us hard to play against,” he said.

Among those changes was a hyperfocus on the task at hand, as through experience, Donovan has learned that growth comes one play and one day at a time. 

“Coach Corrigan does a great job of driving home the message that you can drive yourself crazy thinking about pressures or expectations or goals or even what prior teams have accomplished”Donovan added. “Focus should be on the first play of practice, and then the next, and it’s just one at a time. Be where your feet are.”

Despite a lone loss at Virginia late in March, the Irish once again grounded their focus and centered their minds, responding to the setback with consecutive wins over the No. 1 teams in the country. Dominant performances over Richmond and North Carolina, respectively, have catapulted the Irish back to the top spot in the polls, the only recognition that Donovan cares to have.

“You just try to be your best self, best teammate, best team every single practice,” he said “I think having that narrow focus is helpful in achieving the bigger things.”.

With only the regular season finale against Syracuse left, Donovan has limited opportunities remaining in his Blue & Gold career to capture the chaos that first made him a national champion three years ago. But the fire and passion of the once underrecruited and undersized Connecticut kid still burns strong, as Donovon looks to disrupt his way to a third national championship crown this May.

“It’s the little things that go unnoticed, and that transfers off the field too. The way you do one thing is the way you do everything. That culture has been so strong these past couple years, so as long as we commit to that, we are going to be exhausting to play against.”