LSU Baseball Does The Unthinkable As Jay Johnson Lands #1 Recruit LHP Logan Schmidt | LSU Football!.mp3

The 6-foot-4 California southpaw features a commanding high-90s fastball and highly praised strike-throwing capabilities How the "Unthinkable" Happened The Draft Snag: The Cleveland Guardians selected Schmidt in the 2nd round (59th overall) of the 2026 MLB Draft. However, Cleveland took him without a pre-draft financial agreement The Contract Gap: Schmidt's camp sought a $3 million contract. Because Cleveland had already exhausted most of its bonus pool, they could only offer roughly $1.7 million. The Ultimatum: Schmidt refused the underslot offer. This left him with two choices: play for a junior college (JUCO) to re-enter the draft in 2027, or honor his commitment to LSU Baseball. [1, 2, 3] The Pivot to Baton Rouge: Coach Jay Johnson flew out to California to meet with Schmidt directly. He convinced him to choose the Tigers over JUCO, lock into campus life, and tap into substantial NIL compensation. [1, 2, 3] What This Means for LSU By bypassing JUCO and heading to Baton Rouge, Schmidt must remain in college for at least three seasons. He will not be draft-eligible again until 2029. The blockbuster addition vaults LSU's 2026 High School Recruiting Class to the No. 1 overall ranking according to major outlets like Baseball America and D1Baseball. Schmidt joins an already elite incoming freshman group that features multiple top-100 prospects, signaling an immediate, aggressive rebuild after LSU missed the 2026 NCAA Tournament. If you are tracking the team's upcoming roster changes, would you like to look closer at LSU's transfer portal additions or see the projected 2027 weekend pitching rotation? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.