NCAA makes massive change to College Baseball recruiting
The world of collegiate baseball recruiting has experienced a seismic shift.
During the week of April 10, the NCAA Division I Council announced sweeping changes to how collegiate baseball recruiting will operate going forward.
The key points:
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Beginning April 26, coaches are not allowed to be in any contact with high school players until August 1 of their junior year. The same holds true for the players, as they cannot reach out to coaches until that point.
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This includes verbal commits.
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The exception to the rule is coaches will be summer camps, where coaches can talk with prospects, but no official scholarship offers can be extended, nor can recruiting be discussed.
Link to official NCAA rule: https://web3.ncaa.org/lsdbi/
Before we get into whether or not this is a good thing for the world of college baseball, let us first dive into what this means in terms of the world of college baseball recruiting.
Basically, the cliff notes version of it is no more scholarship offers for junior high kids or high school underclassmen. The rush to be “the first one to offer a kid” is officially over.
What this also eliminates is the “bump-in” loophole. Basically, when a coach doesn’t have the ability to contact a player, you set up a “I run into this person on purpose by accident.”
Let’s break this down in terms of the LSU recruiting glasses. The 2023 class is locked in and signed. Jay Johnson and his staff currently have 13 players signed for the 2023 class and baring players jumping to the MLB Draft, they will be on campus this coming summer. Nothing to deal with in regards to the 2023 class.
Speaking of the 2023 class, here’s a refresher
LHP Kade Anderson 6-2, 175 Covington, LA
LHP Jake Brown 6-2, 180 Sulphur, LA
OF Griffin Cooley 6-1, 180 Kinder, LA
OF Dallas Dale II 6-1, 180 Apopka, FLA
LHP Cameron Johnson 6-5, 245 IMG Academy
SS Ryan Kucherak 6-1, 168 Chandler, AZ
IF/RHP Trenton Lape 6-1, 175 Bossier City, LA
OF Ashton Larson 6-1, 193 Overland Park, KS
SS Steven Milam 5-8, 165 Las Cruces, NM
C Blake Mitchell 6-1, 220 Sinton, TX
OF Derrick Mitchell 6-3, 200 Plano, TX
SS Austin Roellig 5-11, 170 Rancho Cucamonga, CA
SS/RHP MJ Seo 5-11, 175 Plano, TX
SS Dylan Thompson 6-2, 175 Moss Bluff, LA
Now, let’s talk about the insanely talented 2024 class, highlighted by the top two ranked players in the country in Derek Curiel and Konnor Griffin. LSU currently has 17 verbal commitments for the 2024 class. As they are juniors, LSU can stay in contact with them since we have gone past the August 1 of their junior year.
The 2024 class
IF Daniel Arambula 6-0, 180 Yucaipa, CA
C Cade Arrambide 6-3, 200 Tomball, TX
RHP Grant Breaux 6-1, 175 Baton Rouge, LA
IF Matthew Champion 6-0, 175 Laguna Niguel, CA
RHP/LHP/OF Max Charles 6-3, 208 Avondale, AZ
OF Derek Curiel 6-2, 175 West Covina, CA
SS Casan Evans 6-2, 180 Houston, TX
IF Kale Fountain 6-5, 226 Lincoln, NE
SS Owen Galt 5-9, 155 Lake Charles, LA
RHP Stunner Gonzales 6-7, 195 Carlsbad, CA
OF/IF Konnor Griffin 6-4, 195 Florence, MS
SS David Hogg II 6-2, 180 Mansfield, TX
LHP Brady Kehlenbrink 6-0, 170 Ballwin, MI
OF Noah Malone 6-0, 200 Glendora, CA
OF John Pearson 6-0, 205 West Monroe, LA
SS Michael Ryan 6-0, 175 Luling, LA
RHP Landon Victorian 6-3, 185 Lake Charles, LA
The current 2025 class is at nine verbal commits, no contact for them until August 1, 2024.
The 2025 class
OF Cam Caminiti 6-2, 205 Scottsdale, AZ
SS Marshall Louque 6-3, 190 Lutcher, LA
LHP Briggs McKenzie 6-2, 175 Wendell, NC
RHP Vaughn Neckar 6-3, 215 Murrieta, CA
SS/2B Tanner Reaves 6-0, 180 Bonham, TX
SS Jack Ruckert 6-0, 175 Baton Rouge, LA
C Omar Serna 6-1, 215 Pearland, TX
RHP Miguel Sime, Jr 6-2, 220 Queens Village, NY
RHP Karson Trichel 6-4, 185 Monroe, LA
RHP James Whitaker 6-3, 190 Las Vegas, NV
The current 2026 class is at five verbal commits, no contact for them until August 1, 2025.
The 2026 class
LHP Braxton Beaty 5-10, 145 Angleton, CA
SS Bubba Coleman 6-0, 175 Braselton, GA
LHP Bradyn Garner 6-0, 186 West Monroe, LA
SS Sammy Kane 6-1, 160 Carmichael, CA
SS Parker Loew 5-1`0, 170 IMG Academy
The current 2027 class is at six verbal commits, no contact for them until August 1, 2026.
The 2027 class
LHP Colt Christman 5-11, 145 Las Vegas, NV
SS Devyn Downs 6-0, 170 Sterlington, LA
OF Jordin Griffin 5-5, 125 Lake Charles, LA
SS Ricky Lopez 5-8, 135 New York, NY
OF Bryan Ravelo 6-3, 160 Miramar, FL
SS Zowen Watson 5-6, 125 San Diego, CA