American jungler Joshua “
” Hartnett announced his free agency last Thursday after his contract with
Dignitas, which covered the Summer Split of the
League of Legends Championship Series (LCS), came to an end. At 28 years old, Dardoch made his return to the LCS this Summer, having last played in the league in 2021, when he was already representing Dignitas.
In his statement, Dardoch said that the split showed him he was “
not only capable of competing at the highest level, but still my hunger and motivation to do so hasn't dwindled at all.” The split did not go particularly well, however. DIG began the split with Lawrence Lin “
eXyu” Xu in the jungle before benching him in favor of Dardoch. The split ultimately ended with a 0-7 record, with Dardoch securing just one win across five series. eXyu, meanwhile,
announced his retirement.
Not Many LCS Spots Available
Currently, and according to the
Global Contract Database, only four of the eight LCS teams have junglers whose contracts expire at the end of 2026: Dignitas themselves,
Disguised with Christian “KryRa” Rahaian,
Sentinels with Ham “HamBak” Yoo-jin, and
Shopify Rebellion with Juan Arturo “Contractz” Garcia.
Contract extensions on their side, or separations between the other teams and their junglers who are still under contract, cannot be ruled out, as the offseason is highly volatile. However, if Dardoch decides to remain in the LCS and finds a team, the organizations currently set to have an open jungle position at the end of the year are Dignitas, Disguised, Sentinels, and Shopify Rebellion.
Rookie of the Year 10 Years Ago and Still Going
Dardoch’s career began in 2014, when he competed in the North American
League of Legends circuit as a jungler, while also playing toplane in the NACS. In late 2015, he joined Team Liquid Academy before being promoted to the main roster in 2016, the same year he was named North America’s Rookie of the Year.
He went on to play for several organizations, including Immortals, Counter Logic Gaming, TSM, and Dignitas, before trying his hand at coaching as an assistant at Immortals in 2021 under none other than André “Guilhoto” Pereira Guilhoto. He later took over as head coach of the organization’s Academy team. In 2022, he returned to the Summoner’s Rift in the North American Tier 2 scene, where he spent the following years before getting another shot in the LCS during the recent Summer Split.
