Jay Johnson details struggle recruiting best players, managing MLB draft

Jay Johnson is looking to recruit the best players to LSU. Especially after a national championship where the program’s development was on full display. The Tigers have quickly turned back into a national brand and uses it while on the recruiting trail.

One issue pops up for LSU when speaking to the players Johnson wants to join the program — the MLB Draft. With baseball players allowed to leave directly out of high school, there is a battle some college programs have no chance of winning.

“There’s been a saying for a long time that athletic guys will always figure it out,” Johnson said. “The hard part for us is that if you have that athlete that has exceptional skill and size, that’s who you lose in the draft… It’s hard to get the whole picture here. There’s a reason we get the guys through the draft that we do. It’s difficult for me because I’m always attracted to the best players.”

LSU wound up signing the No. 3 recruiting class in the country per Baseball America. A total of 20 players are now freshmen in Baton Rouge when you include NCAA transfer portal additions. Johnson was looking to reload following some. key departures from last year’s squad.

MLB teams are going after the same guys, though. And while NIL has been around in college baseball in recent years, the pockets are not nearly as deep as the professional teams. Sometimes, offers are made that are too good for a high school kid to pass up.

“We need the same things to win the national championship that the Pirates need, that the Indians need, that the Brewers need,” Johnson said. “So, they make it complicated when they throw $2.5-$3 million at players.”

Johnson may have a love/hate relationship with the MLB Draft. Watching two of his players — Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews — go with the first two overall picks must have been a cool moment. Skenes spent just one season at LSU after transferring in while Crews spent his entire college baseball career in Baton Rouge and lived up to the hype.

However, seeing premium recruits back off their commitment because of the MLB Draft must be pretty frustrating. Johnson is just trying to win national championships and believes those players can help him get there. MLB franchises want to begin their development toward eventually making the Show a couple of years earlier.