The Unseen X-Factor of LSU Baseball's Star-Studded Freshman Class

LSU has taken every effort to make sure it doesn't have another season like 2026 in which the Tigers missed the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2011.

Head coach Jay Johnson and his staff went out and got some of the best players in the transfer portal, and came away from the MLB Draft as the biggest winner, with most of its best recruits not signing with major league clubs.

The freshman class in particular is ready to make an impact early, and it all starts with their chemistry.

The unseen X-factor

LSU huddles before a game in the 2017 College World Series | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

LSU Tigers on SI caught up with Cooper Sides, a right-handed pitcher who is the No. 83 recruit in the 2026 class, and is set to join LSU this fall. Sides said that his freshman class is a lot closer before people might expect, and is probably closer than most other programs.

"I feel like our freshman class at LSU, [the chemistry is] going to show, and it's going to be unmatched," Sides told LSU Tigers on SI.

The LSU commits mainly see each other in summer ball circuits, though Sides has also seen some players in his California high school matchups. As a pitcher, he already has an idea of what some of LSU's new bats are bringing to the table.

"Over summer ball, I probably saw almost all 22 of these guys like every summer, so it was really cool," Sides said. "I played against a lot of them. I faced [Anthony] Murphy more times than I can count now."

But they can't get this close just by seeing each other over the summer. Sides said the freshmen have a group chat that has existed over the last two years since all of the guys committed. He added that outfielder Nate Davis is the most active member of the chat.

Even though LSU's top RHP commit Jensen Hirschkorn signed with the Atlanta Braves and won't be in Baton Rouge to play for LSU and room with Sides, the amount of talent that LSU is getting out of high school isn't just a surprise to fans.

"I didn't assume a lot of the guys [were making it to campus] just because after they saw how many people were coming [in the portal] that I thought that some people would be like 'maybe pro ball might be a better option'.

"Obviously they all saw something at LSU that they wanted," Sides said.

Many of the freshman are focused on trying to contribute right away, even though the lineup looks like it could be totally filled without them. That's just how much talent this team is going to have in 2027.

LSU has about 40 players set to be on the roster in the spring, and each one of them came to LSU to compete and win. The Tigers are returning all three weekend starters from 2026, but the job is still open to anyone.

"My immediate thought in there is, as much as I look up to Casan [Evans] and William [Schmidt], like, I'm coming for their jobs," Sides said. "As much as I look up to them and I admire them, like that's just how it has to be."

Complacency isn't something that Johnson and his staff are going to let fly. LSU recruits players that are ready to contribute.

"I have to go and I have to try to compete for a starting spot on the weekend," Sides said. "And in the worst case scenario, I become a bullpen guy on the weekend and then earn that role for the weekend spot when they pass on get drafted."

The roles for freshman are going to vary, making for an exciting fall and winter camp as the whole team starts working together. Even if they aren't on the field, they are doing what they can to make a difference in the clubhouse.

"I think these next three years are gonna be really special with this group," Sides said. "I think it kind of starts, the concrete with this, with my freshman class. We're just going to be able to be a little bit of a backbone as long as we're all here."

Sides said that Johnson and his staff are one of the best in college baseball history. The fact that so many players decided to forgo the draft and come to campus just shows that Johnson is steadfast in his mission to win national championships and develop MLB players.

Johnson has been LSU's head coach for five years, and has already had five players drafted in the top six. A new crop of LSU athletes is coming to continue that standard.

"It's really cool, the opportunity that we all get to have in these next three years," Sides said.

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