LSU fell short of expectations despite a midseason turnaround in 2024, exiting the NCAA Tournament on the road in the regional round.
While the Tigers lost some key pieces in the 2024 MLB draft, namely their top thre pitchers and slugger [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag], it’s hard not to be optimistic about what coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] has coming in.
LSU signed the No. 1 transfer portal class in the nation this offseason with an absolutely loaded group, and it added to that with an elite recruiting class that saw three top-15 prospects withdraw from the draft and reaffirm their commitments to the Tigers.
During an appearance on the “Mik’d Up” podcast with Mikie Mahtook, Johnson said he was excited about the roster the staff has put together for 2025.
“I mean, we had a great high school recruiting class. We knew we were going to lose some of those guys,” Johnson said, per On3. “Really good additions through the portal. We only lost one of those guys, which you know, we kind of knew that was probably going to happen, even when we we got him.
“So you know, I don’t know if you grade it. You certainly can’t right now. All that matters is what happens on the field in the spring. But I’m really excited about the roster.”
Johnson reiterated that quite a bit of attrition was expected this offseason, but with some unexpected players returning paired with that strong transfer class, he feels much better than he did earlier this summer.
“We had a long way to go, frankly, from when we ended the season, and I think at one point we had 11 returning players,” Johnson said. “Obviously, getting a couple of these guys back that maybe we didn’t expect helped. Then, the guys we added in the portal, too.
“We obviously needed to do good with the high school guys getting to campus. And I’m super proud of some of them for having conviction and their belief in themselves to come to LSU and delay the gratification of a little bag of money, as I like to call it, and dive into this thing.”
LSU will hope to return to the national title picture as it will likely enter 2025 ranked in or near the top five once again.
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