From Athens to Anaheim: GA Bulldogs Star Rylan Lujo on His Journey to the Angels

Georgia Bulldogs center fielder Rylan Lujo brings a combination of speed, contact, and defense to the Angels organization. Part of the Angels new emphasis on contact rate, Lujo was selected in the fourth round of last weekend's draft. and is on his way to Tempe to begin his professional career.

The Angels are looking for players who have won at high levels and Lujo certainly fits that bill.

Rylan spent time with Angels on SI Thursday evening from Florida with his bags packed to journey to Tempe. Here is part one of the interview.

Rylan, how are you doing today?

"Doing great, doing great. How are you Jeff?"

Doing great. It is a beautiful day out here in Southern California. Where are you right now?

"I'm in South Florida."

South Florida born and raised, right?

"Yes, sir."

Where were you when you found out that you were drafted?

"I was up in my parent's house up in Port Saint Lucie and just watching on TV for an hour and a half and that's when I saw it."

You saw it before you were called?

"No, I got a call and then within a few picks, yeah [saw it on TV].

Jun 7, 2026; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs infielder Rylan Lujo (8) slides into third base against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Foley Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

And when will you head out to Tempe to get your career started. Do you have any timeline on that yet?

"Yeah, I'm leaving tomorrow morning at 11 AM."

Have you ever been there before?

"I was there for the draft combine. That was the first I'd ever been that far west before. Before this year, before entering the SEC the furthest I'd ever been west was really Alabama. And then went to the SEC and went to Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi, you know."

Let's talk about that. You started your freshman year at Dayton and then you transferred to Georgia. How does the whole transfer process work when you are a player?

"It's pretty simple, really. You have a good year then enter the transfer portal like I did. I had my agents helping me out so they really just kind of helped me out throughout the entire process and put in a good word for me. They talked to all the schools for me, really. Some coaches would call me and reach out to me and also reach out to my agents. And it kind of just went from there."

At Dayton you were playing second base. You were on the dirt. You get to Georgia and they said "let's move you out to center field." Did you know that was going to happen when you transferred to Georgia and how long did it take for you to get comfortable out there?

"Yeah, it was a conversation. That's one of my biggest tools is that I'm very versatile. You can put me anywhere and I'll be a dude for you there.
So coming from Dayton I played third in high school and I played third at Dayton.

And on those phone calls with coach Coggin and our hitting coach we talked and I told them I'm versatile you can put me wherever you want I'm just going to be in the lineup for you guys. And I'm going to be a guy who puts in good at bats every game. And then that's kind of what happened.

I played a lot of second in the fall. Played really well there. So it was pretty surprising that I did get moved to center but halfway through the season I was playing there every single day and just kind of gradually got more comfortable with it out there."

I'm sorry. You played third, I was looking and Georgia actually played you at second base for a couple of games so you have played all over the diamond at a high level.

"Yeah, I played third in high school and at Dayton but at Georgia specifically they played me at second because a lot of my errors from Dayton were only throwing errors. So that's why they moved me to second and I did a lot better.

So that's why it was surprising that they moved me to center because I did play very well during the fall and the winter."

I'm no professional scout. I'm a dude who loves baseball. I've watched a ton of it. I love watching SEC college baseball because of the atmosphere and I think the skill level is high. I didn't realize you had moved out to the grass when I was watching you on TV. You looked pretty natural out there. How long did it take for you to feel natural out there or are you just one of those guys who has a lot of confidence?

"I have a lot of confidence when it comes to baseball. I think if you're going to get to a high level you have to have a lot of confidence.

But really just putting in a lot of work. We practiced a ton. Every single day I would just do certain drills when it comes to footwork and reads off the bat. And even in BP just taking BP serious.

Pregame BP just taking it serious out there in center field and taking good first steps. Just continuing to have a pep step when you're out there. Little things like that matter. Just got to pay attention to those little details.

As time went on I definitely got a lot more comfortable and I think it showed."

The Angels announced you as an outfielder. Have you talked to them? The plan is to keep you out in center field, right?

"I haven't spoken to them about that yet but, yeah, they did announce me as an outfielder."

In part two of the conversation Lujo talks about his competitive streak, goals as a professional, and tips he received from his two time World Series grandfather.

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