LSU Baseball: The Latest On Alabama Ace Luke Holman

Holman entered the Transfer Portal in June, will begin taking visits this week in search of a new home.

Alabama ace Luke Holman entered the NCAA Transfer Portal in June and quickly became the most coveted pitcher to hit the market. A dynamic righty, the Pennsylvania native has a slew of programs in his ear as he begins taking visits around the SEC.

Holman is coming off of a big year for the Crimson Tide. With a 3.67 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 81.0 IP, he continued shining for Alabama all season, but now he’s ready for a change of scenery.

After entering the Transfer Portal, Holman has narrowed down his list and will begin taking visits around the SEC this week.

The latest on Holman’s recruitment process:

The Visit Schedule

Holman wants to stay in the SEC and knows the handful of schools he’s taking a harder look into over the next few days. Beginning on Monday, the Alabama ace will begin a weeklong trip around the conference as he visits programs.

“Tennessee on Monday, Mississippi State on Tuesday and LSU on Wednesday. Then after that I’ll probably go to Alabama to stay at my townhouse for a day then go to Auburn as well. It’s gonna be a long week,” Holman said.

After coming off of Team USA Baseball, Holman now has the chance to lock in on his recruiting process. He had the chance to speak with players from other programs during his time there and had the chance to hear what others had to say of the process.

Change of Scenery

What is Holman looking for in a school? Aside from wanting to stay in the SEC, there are a few boxes that need to be checked when visiting other programs.

“Being comfortable is definitely a big thing. If I go somewhere I visit and I’m just not feeling the place, everything is nice like weight room, resources and everything, but I’m not feeling it. That’s a big factor into my decision,” Holman said. “You don’t want to be uncomfortable going into a place for a year. You want to be comfortable going in, you like the guys there, you like the coaches and you like everyone there. That plays a big factor as well.”

LSU Sticking Out

The reigning National Champion LSU Tigers are clearly a program that has Holman’s attention as he begins his process. The work that Jay Johnson has done to build the program back up to the pinnacle of college baseball has all transfers taking notice.

Holman will be in Baton Rouge on Wednesday as he visits with Jay Johnson and the LSU coaching staff.

“LSU is just a big market nowadays. You see a bunch of people going there and just the baseball program has taken off,” Holman said. “There are a lot of great players there. Development wise you go there and they develop players really well.”

Who has his attention when it comes to the developmental aspect of things? Paul Skenes.

“They just developed Skenes who went there and gained 20 pounds and is hitting 99-102 [mph] which is insane. The development piece and how they are developing players has been awesome,” Holman said.

It’s understood Jay Johnson is one of the best recruiters in the nation, and as he puts his foot on the gas for Holman, he’s listening attentively to the National Champion Head Coach.

“Jay Johnson has done a great job recruiting and getting those guys together. It’s hard to bring a team together and just be really good from the start and he was able to do that. He’s done a great job doing that,” Holman said.

Decision Date

Holman will take the next week and a half to evaluate his options. With visits to Tennessee, Mississippi State and LSU set up for this upcoming week along with an Auburn visit as well, it gives the Alabama star the opportunity to lock in on his process.

When would he like to have his mind made up? Sooner rather than later if all goes accordingly.

“I would say the end of July or early August is what I’m shooting for. I want to go into August knowing where I’m going.”

It’s been an overwhelming process for Holman, and as he begins going on an SEC tour this week, one of the most coveted pitchers in the portal will find a new home.