SEC baseball was hit with some huge news on Tuesday when Texas A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle joined the Aggies’ biggest rival, Texas, and took his entire coaching staff with him.
Not long afterwards, several key Texas A&M players entered the transfer portal, and LSU could be in the mix to land some of them.
Many of the players that have entered the portal will likely either head to Texas with their former coach or return to Texas A&M, but if Jay Johnson can land any of them it would likely be one of the biggest signings of the offseason.
The biggest name might be Jace LaViolette, an All-American outfielder who batted .305 with 29 homers last season. He has also shown some impressive play on defense, including a home run robbery against Florida in Omaha.
LaViolette also has a history with LSU. He committed to LSU when he was 14 and stayed committed until Paul Mainieri retired in 2021. LaViolette is the No. 1 player in the portal and has one year of eligibility remaining.
Before the College World Series started, he told the Houston Chronicle that choosing Texas A&M over LSU was the “best decision of my life.”
Third baseman Gavin Grahovac is also entering the portal. During his freshman season, he hit .298 with 23 homers and 66 RBI. LSU is likely losing its All-American third baseman Tommy White to the MLB draft, and signing Grahovac would help soften the blow of that loss.
Kaeden Kent, the son of former Astros All-Star Jeff Kent, is entering the portal as well after hitting .327 last season. Kent was impressive in the postseason for the Aggies and racked up four RBI in Game 1 of the College World Series against Tennessee.
Kent would be another great addition if Johnson could land him. The Tigers struggled with hitting for long stretches last season and a consistent hitter like Kent could help remedy that issue.
LSU has already added some talent in the portal this offseason, but none of the new additions are at the level of those players departing the Aggies. The Tigers have also lost plenty of talent in the portal and will likely lose more in the draft, so adding at least one big name transfer could help mitigate those losses.
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