by David Folse II
While it may be over two years before they arrive on campus, the 2024 recruiting class that the LSU baseball coaching staff is putting together is arguably one of the best in the history of the sport.
Jay Johnson’s stacked 2024 class got even better Thursday night when Konnor Griffin announced on his social media that he was verbally committing to the Tigers.
“It was LSU because of Coach Johnson’s track record of getting guys to the next level,” Griffin said. “That’s the ultimate goal. I want to play in the Big Leagues one day. I am going to come to LSU and become not only a better individual player, but I’m going to be competing for National Championships.
“It just felt right to be at LSU.”
What a weekend in Baton Rouge! We have had a blast. #GeauxTigers 💜💛 pic.twitter.com/tTA4jTmtVP
— Kim Griffin (@MomOf3KGs) November 6, 2022
Projected to play the outfield in college, the 6-4, 195-pound Griffin is ranked as the nation’s best 2024 prep player by Baseball America and Prospects Live. He is ranked as the nation’s second-best player according to Perfect Game.
“A couple of weeks ago, it was starting to get really close to LSU being the school,” he said. “My family and I took the time to have a lot of discussions about the schools I was choosing from. After those discussions we kinda knew LSU was the place, but we just wanted to make sure. I wanted to make sure I felt at peace with this very important decision and I absolutely do.”
Griffin’s commitment to Johnson and the Tigers continues a massive haul for LSU in the 2024 class. He joins a 2024 class that includes the top-ranked player in the country according to Perfect Game in California outfielder Derek Curiel; Texas catcher Cade Arrambide, who is currently ranked fourth in the country according to Perfect Game and Barbe pitcher Landon Victorian, who is rated as the nation’s 10th-best player according to Perfect Game.
The 2024 class also includes switch hitter and ambidextrous pitcher Max Charles.
“This 2024 class is one of the best in the country,” Griffin said. “We have so many top-ranked players committed. With all those guys coming in, our freshman season mixed with all the players LSU already has, we are going to have a great chance to win a lot of baseball games. We are going to have the chance to do a lot of special things.
"Big League arm strength, RIGHT NOW." ⛽️
— Whistle (@WhistleSports) August 28, 2022
pic.twitter.com/35vSCmvhEf
“I have talked to Derek a couple of times during this process. He was excited that I made a visit to LSU and he had great things to say about Baton Rouge and how great the accomplishments we could have playing together along with the other members of the 2024 class.”
Of course, when it comes to Collegiate Baseball recruiting classes, the threat of these prospects not arriving on campus and choosing to begin their Major League Baseball careers prior to coming to LSU is always a possibility.
Griffin addressed the issue that is the MLB Draft.
“There’s no guarantee that any of this MLB stuff happens,” he said. “Right now my goals are very straightforward: win two more state championships at Jackson Prep, finish high school and then I’m going to focus on trying to play college baseball. That’s where my head is.
“Playing in the Major Leagues and getting drafted, that will hopefully come in time. That’s not guaranteed though. Do I think about it? Of course, because if that decision presents itself after high school, it will be a hard decision to make. But my focus right now is high school baseball and then college baseball. It’s one thing at a time.”
Konnor Griffin (‘24, Miss.) gets all of this one, sending it high into the left field trees for a grand slam. Huge juice and checks so many boxes; just simply a special young player; #2 in ‘24. @PG_DeepSouth #WWBA pic.twitter.com/vhznPQxbmr
— Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 20, 2022
In his first season at Jackson Prep in Mississippi, a powerhouse program that has won five consecutive state championships, Griffin hit .472 with six home runs and slugged .876. In addition to his exploits at the plate, the hard-throwing right-hander went 6-2 on the mound, with a 1.64 ERA in 11 appearances.
“I’m relieved that this whole process is over, but I really did enjoy the entire recruiting process,” he said. “I got to build relationships with so many coaching staffs at so many schools. Those are going to last forever and I’m thankful for that. I really didn’t feel a lot of pressure or anything like that.
“Making the decision really does take some pressure off of my shoulders though. Now that it’s over with, I can get back to focusing on the next goal and that’s winning another State Championship.”
While he had scholarship offers from double-digit schools, he made official visits to LSU, Auburn, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.