Pat Kavanagh’s bio on the Notre Dame website reads like a tome. The opening salvo alone features 30 different records, accolades and awards. No Fighting Irish lacrosse player accomplished more, and few college players ever succeeded to the level Kavanagh did in South Bend.
Last summer was the climax to one of the best college careers of all time, with Kavanagh willing Notre Dame to its second consecutive national championship in his final game donning the golden dome.
Flash forward two months, and one of the game’s biggest stars was on injured reserve and battling through the most challenging season of his lacrosse life.
“Coming off of the [NCAA] championships, you’re at the highest point in your career and then you get hurt, and it’s tough,” Kavanagh said.
A year later, Kavanagh is back in full bloom, leading the hottest team in the league and reminding the lacrosse world and himself why he belongs.
The Boston Cannons drafted Kavanagh with the sixth overall pick in 2024. He slid in the draft, with most pre-draft predictions slotting him in the top three, but he seemingly found a great home in Boston, where he’d be paired with his older brother, Matt.
But the Cannons were never quite the right fit. The attack line didn’t have room for him, with Asher Nolting and Marcus Holman owning X and the righty wing, respectively. Kavanagh had to learn a new, unfamiliar position in midfield and wasn’t as involved in the offense.
After a lengthy senior season at Notre Dame, he also dealt with nagging injuries that kept him out of the lineup for part of the season. Kavanagh finished the season with 13 points in seven games, never breaking out like the standout peers in his draft class.
“It was a mental battle with myself,” Kavanagh said.
Come season’s end, Kavanagh needed a fresh start. He found a welcoming home in the culture of the Denver Outlaws.
Denver put together a dynamic core of young talent a season ago, but the Outlaws were still missing a quarterback. Head coach and general manager Tim Soudan pushed his chips in and traded for Kavanagh to fill that role, giving up the third overall pick in 2025 and a second-rounder in 2026.
As with any move, there were growing pains at first. Training camp was positive, especially off the field as Kavanagh quickly ingrained himself into the Outlaws culture, but with all of the moving pieces, there was something missing with the offense.
“No one really had an established role, and I was still the new guy on the team,” Kavanagh said.
Through the first two games, Denver struggled to score. The Outlaws generated plenty of chances, ranking top three in the league in shots, but the goals weren’t coming.
In Week 3 in Philadelphia, Kavanagh had the first breakout game of his pro career. Three goals, one assist and three ground balls on 10 shots and 51 touches. The game ran through Kavanagh, and he set the tone for Denver’s offense in the first win of the season.
“I feel like I got all my confidence back,” Kavanagh said.
The Outlaws and Kavanagh have been on a rocket ship since that point, winning their last four games. Kavanagh leads the league in goals and is tied for third in points, while also leading all players in touches and shots.
As he’s gone, Denver’s offense has gone. The Outlaws are second in the league in scoring (74 scores) and shots (268). The pecking order has been established, with Kavanagh, Brennan O’Neill and Jared Bernhardt stirring the drink.
The trademark Kavanagh tenacity is also on full display. He rides harder than anybody in the league, leading all short sticks in caused turnovers with five and racking up 13 ground balls.
Over the last four games, Denver is undefeated, and Kavanagh has emerged as a bona fide MVP candidate.
But he’d be the first to shift the spotlight from himself.
That team-first selflessness is what made him an immediate fit in the Outlaws locker room. Despite little experience playing with the guys in Denver, and more than a little playing against them, Kavanagh was a seamless fit into the locker room.
The veteran leaders, especially Mike Manley and Jesse Bernhardt, set the tone, and the players hold each other accountable. As two of the most seasoned and accomplished players of the league, they’re the model for the next generation, like Kavanagh.
“They’re the standard of how to stay in shape, how to keep their bodies healthy and produce at a high level for a very long time,” Kavanagh said.
With the strong locker room of the Outlaws and the opportunity to lead an offense, Kavanagh has fully established himself as one of the sport’s best. After a year in the wilderness, he’s returned on the other side better than ever before.
A year after his injury, riding a four-game win streak and surging up MVP odds boards, Kavanagh faces his former team, the Cannons, on Saturday in Fairfield. It’s a point to reflect on all that’s changed in the last 12 months, how far his pro career has come in just half a season.
But it’s not revenge. It’s not about him. It’s just another line in the next tome of Kavanagh, with a decade’s more lines waiting to follow.
