Maryland is one of the best teams in college lacrosse despite what its record might suggest. Does that give Leo Johnson the right to trash talk?
His behavior against Michigan sparked a debate about decorum.
There is a portion of the college lacrosse community that thinks it is a bad look to taunt an opponent while sitting below .500 as a team. Others think it is good for the sport as long as it doesn’t cross a line.
Who is Leo Johnson?
Johnson, a native of Greenwich, Connecticut, played at the high school lacrosse powerhouse Avon Old Farms. He committed to Yale as the No. 6-ranked recruit in the Class of 2021.
The 5-foot-9, 175-pound attackman spent four years in New Haven with the Bulldogs. Johnson was second on the team in goals, assists and points as a freshman, an honorable mention All-Ivy selection as a sophomore and a second team All-Ivy selection as a senior.
He did not see any game action as a junior in 2024 due to an injury. That allowed him to return in 2026 as a graduate student.
However, Leo Johnson exhausted all of his eligibility at Yale so he had to enter the transfer portal.
Maryland ultimately received his commitment. He currently leads the team in goals and points through the first eight games of the season.
The Terrapins are ranked No. 12 in the country even though they have only four wins. Their .500 record includes a two-goal loss to No. 2 Syracuse, a one-goal loss to No. 12 Princeton, a three-goal loss to No. 1 Notre Dame and a four-goal loss to No. 9 Penn State with wins over Loyola, Delaware, Virginia and Michigan on Saturday. They are dominating unranked opponents. They don’t have a ranked win.
Is trash talk good or bad for college lacrosse?
Maryland entered the game on Saturday at 3-4. It dominated Michigan by a final score of 14-8 behind eight historic goals from Eric Spanos. Leo Johnson also scored twice with three assists in the win.
The fifth-year grad transfer scored his first goal of the afternoon during the first quarter.
Leo Johnson gets on the board!#BeTheBest pic.twitter.com/dz8RFDdKAo
— Maryland Men's Lacrosse (@TerpsMLax) March 28, 2026
Johnson barked at the Wolverines defender after the ball went in the net. That did not go over well with Big Ten Network color analyst Mark Dixon, who played college lacrosse at Johns Hopkins.
Dixon found Johnson’s behavior to be despicable. He would prefer to see him keep his composure after the goal. Move on. Do not talk trash.
Mark Dixon went scorched earth on Leo Johnson for his habit of trash talking pic.twitter.com/gJZafUOHjP
— Kevin Boilard (@KevinBoilard) March 29, 2026
I disagree.
First and foremost, there is a high probability that the defender was chirping at Johnson from the initial face-off. Johnson wanted to give it right back and let him hear. It was not egregious.
I also do not think the sub-.500 record matters. Every game is different. This specific “incident” only applied to this specific matchup. The past and the future do not matter.
It would be different if Leo Johnson was talking trash while losing by eight goals. It was a one-goal game in the first quarter.
If we are to consider the record, Maryland is a team that is in desperate need of a spark. Johnson’s trash talk could provide the Terrapins with some extra juice. Is that so wrong? I don’t think so.
And yet, there is a portion of the college lacrosse community (including Dixon) that clutched their pearls. How dare a college athlete talk smack! Lame.