Meet Quarterback Dylan Lonergan, the 2023 Prospect Who LSU is Targeting in Football and Baseball
LSU is chasing 2023 quarterback Dylan Lonergan in not just football but baseball as well. As a pitcher at Brookwood High School, Lonergan fires a 90 mph fastball as a rising sophomore, ranking in the 99.96 percentile according to Perfect Game metrics.
His go to pitches at the moment are his fastball, which is among the fastest in the country for the 2023 class, and slider, one that he's still developing but feels he has good command of.
"After they offered me in football, I talked to one of the baseball recruiting guys [Nolan Cain] and they told me they had been looking at me for a couple of months already," Lonergan said. "I think they can plug me in as a starter when I get there as long as I continue to develop and make the strides I'm shooting for."
But while Lonergan is breaking radar guns in the spring, in the fall he's slinging touchdowns.
Auburn and Tennessee both offered Lonergan for football this past week but the Snellville, Georgia prospect said LSU was the first big time program to offer him back in April. The Tigers' coaching staff has since stayed in contact with Lonergan, mainly through offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger and coach Ed Orgeron.
"It was a pretty exciting day for sure," Lonergan said. "They think I have a strong arm, run a lot and I've been keeping in touch with them about every week. Coach O really likes that I can spin it."
Lonergan was supposed to visit LSU for the first time this summer but the plan is to try and make it down to Baton Rouge for a game this fall, though nothing has officially been mapped out yet.
In the coming weeks and months, Lonergan said he wants to build as strong a relationship as possible with the coaching staff's for both football and baseball. Lonergan has been given the "go ahead" by Orgeron and the football team if he ultimately decides to pursue both sports at LSU.
LSU has experience with its football players participating in other sports in the spring. Safety Kary Vincent runs track while fellow safety Maurice Hampton Jr. began his career with the baseball team this past spring but the season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic. Lonergan said on the baseball side, his primary contact has been Cain and that the program is excited about his potential.
"He said he really likes watching me pitch and thinks I'm really good," Lonergan said.
Over the offseason, Lonergan has focused on building strength and speed physically as he heads into his sophomore year. As for what he's been doing to make sure he's sharp on the field, Lonergan has spent copious amounts of time studying and trying to better familiarize himself with various defensive schemes.
"I'm definitely just trying to keep my arm in shape, keeping my arm stronger," Lonergan said. "I've been focusing on the lower half of my body technique wise, opening up my hips more. I feel like I can read defenses really well now and can make plays when I have to."
Lonergan was one of about 20 high school quarterbacks that competed in the "Under Armor Elite Underclassmen Camp" this past weekend. Heading into the day, Lonergan just wanted to see how he stacked up with some of his fellow quarterbacks from the 2021, 22, 23 and even 24 class.
"It's been pretty cool talking to a lot of these quarterbacks and just picking their brains and seeing what they know," Lonergan said.
By the end of the camp, Lonergan realized just how big a day he had in Vicksburg, Mississippi, earning himself an invite to the Under Armor Future 50 game.
Lonergan said LSU was one of those programs that he's always followed when watching football. Seeing that offense have success the way that it did in 2019 resonated with a quarterback like Lonergan, who will be looking to showcase his arm talent not only on the football field, but the baseball diamond as well.
"It's a great place to be and it would be really cool if I were to wind up there one day, but there's still a lot I want to get done in high school," Lonergan said.
