LSU's Wes Johnson Accepts Head Coaching Job at Georgia

LSU pitching coach Wes Johnson will depart Baton Rouge after just one season on Head Coach Jay Johnson's staff. The prominent assistant coach has accepted the head coaching gig with the Georgia Bulldogs.

Johnson will stay with the Tigers during their postseason run despite accepting the job five days ago. LSU punched their ticket to Super Regionals after defeating Oregon 13-7 on Monday.

[Wes Johnson] is locked in. [The deal] has been done for about five days. I think the preparation and the execution of the pitching staff this weekend speaks for itself," Head Coach Jay Johnson said on Monday. "And it's just a new time in college athletics. So I would just -- we were having a meeting tomorrow morning, I was going to tell [the team] tomorrow morning.

"But obviously you don't get to that point. I love him like a brother. I can't imagine only spending 11 months with somebody and connecting the way that we have."

Johnson left the Minnesota Twins last offseason to take a job with the Tigers. It was a decision many questioned, but with desires to become a head coach, Johnson's gamble ultimately paid off.

Sources: Georgia is finalizing a deal to make LSU pitching coach Wes Johnson the school’s new head coach. Johnson has extensive SEC experience from his time at LSU, Mississippi State and Arkansas as a pitching coach. pic.twitter.com/PVCfZgHcHB
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) June 5, 2023

Upon the hiring of Johnson, LSU Head Coach Jay Johnson was ecstatic. The ability to pull one of the top professional pitching coaches away from the majors, it was a monumental feat, but now Johnson departs with bigger goals.

“I couldn’t be more excited to announce Wes Johnson as our pitching coach at LSU,” Jay Johnson said when LSU hired Johnson. “We have hired, in my opinion, the best pitching coach in the country at any level. The success he has had at the highest level of baseball speaks to Wes’ ability to communicate, teach, develop and motivate. Our current and future pitchers have a coach in Wes that will get the best out of them and help them develop into one of the best pitching staffs in college baseball on an annual basis.

“I believe Wes will help us recruit and develop a large number of future Major League pitchers at LSU and form them into a dominant staff for years to come. This is a huge day for LSU Baseball.”

Johnson will remain in the SEC as he takes his talents to Athens to represent the Georgia Bulldogs. A program with tremendous upside, Johnson will now look to revamp the Bulldogs to championship caliber.