Jay Johnson: Doing well at LSU helps players more than doing well at other schools
Published:
No other coach in the sport of college baseball has a better recruiting line right now than Jay Johnson.
The head coach at LSU won a national championship in 2023, then celebrated as pitcher Paul Skenes and outfielder Dylan Crews went 1-2 in the 2023 MLB Draft. LSU just claimed another national championship with a 2-games-to-none win over Coastal Carolina in the College World Series Finals, and it might soon produce another No. 1 overall MLB Draft pick.
Speaking on SEC This Morning on SiriusXM radio recently, Johnson said no other program can do for players what LSU can.
“When I came here, it was obviously LSU, there were great foundational players in the program. Dylan Crews, best player I’ve ever coached. … But we really had to elevate the pitching talent to compete for a national championship,” Johnson said. “And we’ve been able to do that.
“A lot of programs will talk about developing, but you can really point to the track record right now. (In) 2023, we broke an SEC record for players drafted. I think it was 13. I think 9 of those were pitchers. Last year, we had 9 pitchers drafted again, which was also an SEC record. You had the No. 1 pick with Skenes, I think Kade Anderson’s got a great chance to be the No. 1 pick.”
Skenes and Crews going first and second in the 2023 draft marked the first time ever the top 2 picks were from the same school. Johnson’s numbers are slightly off — LSU had 8 pitchers taken in 2023 and then 8 pitchers taken again in 2024, which both tied SEC records — but you can’t fault him for that. He has so many draft picks he has to keep track of lately.
The 13 players drafted in 2023 also tied an SEC record and led all schools. Johnson has produced 4 first-round picks in his 3 seasons at LSU. Two of them were pitchers.
“Especially if you’re a transfer portal pitcher, nobody has a better plan for you for 1 year to get where you want to go than LSU,” Johnson said. “I think over the past 20 years, there is no argument who the best pitching coach is in college baseball. [Nate Yeskie] has been to Omaha with 4 different programs, won national championships now with 2. And then we have another (guy), director of pitching development Jamie Tutko, who is exceptional and blends Coach Yeskie’s experience, pitch-calling ability, (and) feel for players with a lot of this new-age stuff.
“I just think it’s the spot. I really believe that doing well at LSU helps players and pitchers more than doing well at other schools. And that impacts them in the Major League Baseball draft. We like what we have going right now and we’re looking for the next wave as we speak.”
RELATED: Want to bet on the 2025 MLB Draft? Head to bet365 and use this bet365 Louisiana bonus code to secure up to $150 in bonus bets.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
