Dylan Crews was’ the dude’ at LSU. Now the MLB draft is calling
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Ryan McGee, ESPN Senior Writer
Editor’s note: This story originally ran in March, as Dylan Crews was leading the LSU Tigers to an eventual national championship. Now he’s expected to be a top pick in Sunday’s MLB Draft. It has been updated to reflect his end-of-season stats.
From the moment Dylan Crews officially decided he would become an LSU Tiger, the Florida-raised outfielder stated he had one goal: to come to Baton Rouge and, in his words, “be a dude there.”
Now, after a third season patrolling the turf of Alex Box Stadium, Dylan Crews isn’t merely a dude. He is The Dude. The anchor of the Men’s College World Series champions, the Golden Spikes-winning dude on a roster overflowing with dudes, a pack of OG LSU recruits joined by a pack of powerhouse transfers who came to Baton Rouge from the Rockies and the Pacific in no small part seeking to play alongside No. 3. But this isn’t simply a Crews crew movement. He’s also The Dude who has all of baseball buzzing, a hum that’s becoming harder to hear as the MLB first-year player draft is upon us and this five-tool, right-handed dude sits atop many selection spreadsheets.
He has been on their radars since his pandemic-shortened senior year at Lake Mary (Florida) High School in 2020. But he knew he had work to do then, leaving high school with a frustratingly incomplete résumé. Even just one year ago he knew he had more work to do, chasing way too many bad breaking balls. And he didn’t want to leave the LSU program as it had even more work to do.
The Tigers are arguably the greatest program of college baseball’s modern era, having made 19 Men’s College World Series appearances since 1986 and winning seven MCWS titles. But heading into this year, the last of those rings was won in 2009, the third of Paul Mainieri’s 15 seasons at the wheel. That’s an eternity by LSU baseball standards, and over the dozen Series since they’d had to watch five other SEC schools win a total of seven championships. Last year, four of the eight MCWS participants were SEC schools (plus soon-to-be members Texas and Oklahoma) and none of them were LSU, who hadn’t been to Omaha since 2017. Mainieri, who recruited Crews, was sent into retirement after the 2021 season in which LSU went 38-25 (13-17 in conference play). The arrival of Jay Johnson from Arizona had shown promise, but ended in Hattiesburg last year with an NCAA Regional loss to Southern Miss.
So, the big leagues? Crews had more to accomplish before he thought that far ahead.
“The one thing I say is that a lot of people took the elevator, but I took the stairs,” the soft-spoken, 6-foot, 205-pound junior said through the curl of a polite, confident grin. “We’re all going to end up at the same place, but I took a different route and it’s the route that I chose. I’m here at LSU and having the best time of my life.”
Here’s what a stat line looks like from The Dude having the best time of his life: 71 games, 110 hits, 18 homers, 16 doubles, 100 runs scored, 70 RBIs, 184 total bases, 171 putouts with zero errors in the field, a slugging percentage of .713 and … OK, here’s the number everyone’s waiting for … a batting average of .426.
That’s four HR’s in four games for 3️⃣@__dc4__ | SECN+ pic.twitter.com/c4F14CEMuV
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) March 26, 2023
Add it all up and you’ve got college baseball’s best player on the sport’s best team. Crews saved his best for last, going 6-for-12 in the MCWS finals series against Florida, including a 4-for-6 performance in the deciding third game that delivered the long-awaited title.
Because that’s how this Dude rolls.
“I don’t think people really understand the true impact he has on the program outside of being a five-tool talent,” explained Thatcher Hurd, one of those high-profile transfer arrivals, coming to Baton Rouge after a season on the mound at Jackie Robinson Stadium for UCLA. “You come in and you’re like, ‘What’s Dylan Crews about?’ He’s got everything. He’s the best player in the country, and he’s truly a better person than a player. And that says a lot. … People worry about how we’re going to manage a lot of good talent, managing egos. And I think it really all starts with him. He’s super humble. He leads by example. And he leads with his words.”
The 21-year-old has always led by example. It’s the words that are new to his dugout repertoire. Explosive as he is on the diamond, he can be highly introverted elsewhere in life. At home, roommate and righty pitcher Ty Floyd said college baseball’s best player can be found meticulously polishing his endless supply of custom cleats (he really loves his neon SpongeBob kicks) or working on Lego sets, most recently the Avengers’ “Infinity Gauntlet.”
“I can’t sit still for 10 minutes just to build a Lego set. I don’t know how he sits there for an hour or two building the whole thing,” Floyd said. “He’s like, ‘I love it.’ Oof. Good for you. That’s that focus. Then he’ll go to the ballpark and get three hits and a homer that goes out of the ballpark. Turns it on and off.”
When Hurd and his fellow transfers arrived over summer and were joined by a group of highly touted new signees, The Dude had his newfound captain’s voice turned on. He met them all at the clubhouse door and went teammate-to-teammate, those he knew well and those he’d just met, explaining the LSU workout schedule, summer and fall practice plan and then where they were all going to dinner. And lunch. And breakfast.
“I think that’s what’s different about this team compared to the last two teams is how close we are,” Crews said, confessing that he has had to work to become more vocal. “My whole life I’ve been leader by doing, a leader by example. That works when you’re a freshman and I didn’t really have a senior year of high school. But now I speak up. To me, that’s been as big a piece of my development as even the on-field stuff.”
End 5 | Dylan Crews is a five tool baseball player@__dc4__ | SECN+ pic.twitter.com/Hx8aDyXDu7
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) May 8, 2022
“The baseball part is easy to see. I have never seen a player as complete as him in college baseball. Usually, those guys sign out of high school,” said Johnson, who led Arizona to Omaha in the first and last of his five seasons in Tucson. “But it’s the other stuff. It’s the mental game. How he prepares, how he handles success, how he handles the minimal failure that he has and ability to get right back to doing what he does is special. And it’s leadership. He’s really found his voice and the players respect him so much because of the player he is, the person he is, that when he speaks, they really listen and follow.”
Said Crews, “Everybody’s their own leader in their own way, so doesn’t matter if you’re a freshman or a senior, we are all keeping each other focused. It’s pretty special to see. It is a lot of work, but it is also pretty fun.”
Those around Crews can attest his work ethic has never been an issue at any point in his young life. Even during his preteen years when he first started working with a personal swing coach in his homeland of baseball-mad Central Florida. When hours per day taking cuts in a cinder-block garage weren’t enough, his parents found an indoor batting facility and school that had been fashioned from an abandoned car dealership. When that wasn’t enough and little Dylan got twitchy around the house his father, George, founder and owner of a commercial printing company, built a batting cage in the backyard. When that wasn’t enough, and even hitting the road with a high-level travel team didn’t satiate the teen’s hardball hunger, George and wife Kim, a nurse, worked with his school to create a so-called “Dylan Rule” that heavily front-loaded his academic schedule each morning so that he could spend his afternoons at the nearby TXNL Baseball Academy.
“You can go to the academy full time, but I also wanted to have a normal high school student experience, as much as I could anyway,” Crews said, chuckling. “So, my parents did what they always do and they worked to make it work. I am so fortunate to have them, supporting me no matter what it takes.”
These days it takes an RV, or more accurately, a motorcoach, which George and Kim Crews bought as soon as their boy moved to Baton Rouge. They purchased it secondhand from a tailgate-loving Alabama Crimson Tide fan, who was happy to sell them the rig but refused their request and payment to redo the crimson décor and replace it with purple and gold. Now they steer that RV (they did the makeover themselves) wherever the Tigers and their boy are playing ball, making the drive from the Orlando suburbs to all points Southeastern. During LSU home games they work with their son to host families who have children with special needs, something the family hopes to continue to do as Dylan moves up the baseball ladder.
“He’s such a great baseball player, but then he’s also like the nicest, kindest guy, it almost makes you mad,” Floyd joked. “But it’s also a genuine privilege to know him and to watch him play. It’s next-level stuff and it’s awesome to see everyone else kind of discover the guy we already know.”
Those discoverers include the LSU icons who came before him. One by one, they have reached out, unofficially welcoming him into their club. Crews rolls off their names, the ones he wants to be listed among when he departs for the big leagues in July: Odell Beckham Jr., Shaquille O’Neal and the baseball player he talked to three years ago, when he was wrestling with whether or not to enter the MLB draft out of high school, Alex Bregman. You know, the dudes of their time.
“The reason I came here is to win a national championship, to put a new year up on that Intimidator,” he said of the legendarily gargantuan scoreboard that towers over the left field of the Box.
Then he went out and did just that.
And that’s what makes Dylan Crews The Dude.
Week 7 shook up the College Football Playoff picture. No team earned a more impactful result than Indiana, whose win at Oregon is now the best in the country during the first half of the season. Indiana’s playoff chances jumped 21%, climbing to a 93% chance to make the playoff, according to the Allstate Playoff Predictor.
Not only are the Hoosiers off the bubble, but Indiana also is chasing a first-round bye as one of the top four seeds, having cemented its place alongside Ohio State and Miami as one of the nation’s best teams.
Indiana wasn’t the only winner, though, as South Florida and Texas Tech both saw their playoff chances jump by at least 15%.
Below you’ll find one team in the spotlight for each of the Power 4 leagues and another identified as an enigma. We’ve also tiered schools into three groups. Teams with Would be in status are featured in this week’s top 12 projection, a snapshot of what the selection committee’s ranking would look like if it were released today. Teams listed as On the cusp are the true bubble teams and the first ones outside the bracket. A team with Work to do is passing the eye test (for the most part) and has a chance at winning its conference, which means a guaranteed spot in the playoff. And a team that Would be out is playing in the shadows of the playoff — for now.
The 13-member selection committee doesn’t always agree with the Allstate Playoff Predictor, so the following categories are based on historical knowledge of the group’s tendencies plus what each team has done to date.
Reminder: This will change from week to week as each team builds — or busts — its résumé.
Jump to a conference:
ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten
SEC | Independent | Group of 5
Bracket
SEC
Spotlight: Tennessee. The Vols have looked like a borderline playoff team against unranked opponents in recent weeks, beating Mississippi State and Arkansas by a combined 10 points with one overtime. Offensively they’ve been elite, averaging 300 yards passing and 200 rushing per game. Defensively, they need to stop the run to make to challenge in the SEC. They’ll have a chance against Alabama on Saturday to further legitimize their hopes. With a win, Tennessee’s chances of reaching the playoff would jump to 52%, according to the Allstate Playoff Predictor. Tennessee ranks No. 10 in ESPN’s game control metric and No. 19 in strength of record. The Vols are projected in the committee’s No. 12 spot this week, which means they would get knocked out of the actual field during the seeding process to make room for the highest-ranked Group of 5 champion. The five highest-ranked conference champions are guaranteed spots in the playoff, so if the fifth team is ranked outside of the committee’s top 12, its No. 12 team gets the boot.
Enigma: Texas. The Longhorns took a baby step toward a return to CFP relevance with a big win against Oklahoma, but it was their first win against a Power 4 opponent and their first against a ranked team. Texas has the 15th-most-difficult remaining schedule, and with two losses is already in a precarious position. The Longhorns will play three of their next four opponents on the road (at Kentucky, Mississippi State and Georgia). There were encouraging signs from the win against the rival Sooners, from the stingy defense that flustered quarterback John Mateer all game to what looked like an improved offensive line that gave quarterback Arch Manning some time to throw. He completed 16 of 17 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown when under no duress. If Texas can continue to put it all together against the heart of its SEC schedule, it could make a run to be one of the committee’s top two-loss teams.
If the playoff were today
Would be in: Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Texas A&M
On the cusp: Tennessee
Work to do: Missouri, Texas, Vanderbilt
Would be out: Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi State, South Carolina
Big Ten
Spotlight: USC. The Trojans have looked like a CFP top 25 team through the first half of the season, with their only loss a close one on the road to a ranked Illinois team. In Week 7, USC’s convincing 31-13 win against Michigan pushed it into more serious Big Ten contention. Ohio State and Indiana are the leaders, followed by Oregon, but USC has the fourth-best chance (7.1%) to reach the Big Ten title game, according to ESPN Analytics. That will change when the Trojans go to Oregon on Nov. 22, but they don’t play Ohio State or Indiana during the regular season. A win at Notre Dame on Saturday would be a significant boost to USC’s playoff résumé, while simultaneously knocking the Irish out of playoff contention. According to the Allstate Playoff Predictor, USC’s chances of reaching the playoff would adjust to 58% with a win against Notre Dame. According to ESPN Analytics, USC has less than a 50% chance to win its games against Notre Dame and Oregon.
Enigma: Washington. The Huskies have improved significantly and quickly under coach Jedd Fisch, who’s in his second season. Their only loss was to Ohio State, 24-6, on Sept. 27, but they lack a statement win that gives them real postseason credibility. Wins at Washington State and Maryland are certainly respectable, but bigger opportunities loom starting on Saturday at Michigan. This game has significant implications, because if the Huskies can win, they stand a strong chance of hosting Oregon as a one-loss team in the regular-season finale. According to ESPN Analytics, Michigan has a 67.6% chance to win on Saturday, and Oregon has a 70% chance to beat Washington on Nov. 29. The Huskies are projected to win every other game, though. A win against Michigan could increase their playoff hopes significantly.
If the playoff were today
Would be in: Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon
On the cusp: USC
Work to do: Nebraska, Washington
Would be out: Iowa, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, Wisconsin
ACC
Spotlight: Georgia Tech. Raise your hand if you had Georgia Tech at Duke on Saturday circled as a game that would impact the College Football Playoff. The Yellow Jackets would have been the next team to crack the latest CFP projection this week, and their chances of reaching the ACC championship game will skyrocket if they can win at Duke. Georgia Tech currently has the fourth-best chance to reach the ACC title game behind Miami, Duke and Virginia. ESPN Analytics gives the Blue Devils a 61.8% chance to win. The only other projected loss on the Jackets’ schedule is the regular-season finale against Georgia. Even if Georgia Tech reaches the ACC title game and loses, it could get in as a second ACC team with a win over Georgia.
Enigma: Virginia. The Hoos have won back-to-back overtime games against Florida State and Louisville, putting themselves in contention for a spot in the ACC championship. They host a tricky Washington State team on Saturday that just gave Ole Miss a few headaches, though, and need to avoid a second loss to an unranked team. The toughest game left on their schedule is Nov. 15 at Duke. Without an ACC title, Virginia is going to have a tough time impressing the committee with a schedule that includes a loss to unranked NC State and possibly no wins against ranked opponents. It didn’t help the Hoos that Florida State lost to an unranked Pitt, as the win against the Noles was the highlight of their season so far.
If the playoff were today
Would be in: Miami
On the cusp: Georgia Tech
Work to do: Virginia
Would be out: Boston College, Cal, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Louisville, North Carolina, NC State, Pitt, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
Big 12
Spotlight: BYU. The Cougars needed a late-night double-overtime win at Arizona to stay undefeated and are on the path to face Texas Tech in the Big 12 championship game. The question is if they can stay undefeated until the Nov. 8 regular-season matchup against the Red Raiders. BYU has its second-most difficult remaining game on Saturday against rival Utah, which is also in contention for the Big 12 title. BYU has a slim edge with a 51% chance to win, which would be a critical cushion considering back-to-back road trips to Iowa State and Texas Tech await. The Big 12 has also gotten a boost from Cincinnati, which has a favorable remaining schedule and could be a surprise CFP top 25 team. If BYU stumbles over the next three weeks, a road win at a ranked Cincinnati team would help its résumé. Speaking of the Bearcats …
Enigma: Cincinnati. Is this team for real? The Bearcats have won five straight since their 20-17 season-opening loss to Nebraska, including three straight against Big 12 opponents Kansas, Iowa State and UCF. All three of those teams are .500 or better, and the selection committee will respect that as long as it holds. Cincinnati also has November opportunities against Utah and BYU, which could change the playoff picture in the Big 12. ESPN Analytics gives the Bearcats less than a 50% chance to beat Utah, BYU and TCU.
If the playoff were today
Would be in: Texas Tech
On the cusp: BYU
Work to do: Cincinnati, Houston, Utah
Would be out: Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, UCF, West Virginia
Independent
Would be out: Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish have the best chance to win out of any team in the FBS, with a 49% chance to finish 10-2. According to the Allstate Playoff Predictor, Notre Dame would have a 50% chance to reach the CFP if it runs the table. That seems accurate, given the selection committee would compare Notre Dame against the other 10-2 contenders, and it’s a coin toss as to whether the room would agree that the Irish’s résumé and film make them worthy of an at-large bid. How Miami and Texas A&M fare will impact this — as will the head-to-head results if those teams don’t win their respective leagues and are also competing with the Irish for one of those at-large spots. It helps Notre Dame that opponents USC and Navy could finish as CFP top 25 teams if they continue to win. Undefeated Navy could also make a run at the Group of 5 playoff spot.
Group of 5
Spotlight: South Florida. South Florida. The Bulls are back on top after their convincing 63-36 win at previously undefeated North Texas, which just a week ago was listed here as a potential Group of 5 contender. Following the win, the Bulls’ chances of reaching the CFP increased by 20%, according to ESPN Analytics. South Florida’s lone loss was Sept. 13 at Miami, 49-12, which was a significant defeat against what could be the committee’s No. 1 team. Although that result showed the gap between the Bulls and one of the nation’s top teams, it certainly didn’t eliminate South Florida, which has one of the best overall résumés of the other contenders. With wins against Boise State, Florida and now at North Texas, this is a team that earned the edge in this week’s latest projection. Still, South Florida has the second-best chance of any Group of 5 school to reach the playoff (30%) behind Memphis (42%), according to ESPN Analytics.
Enigma: UNLV. Undefeated UNLV survived a scare from 1-5 Air Force on Saturday to stay undefeated and in contention for a playoff spot. UNLV and Boise State, both of the Mountain West Conference, are the only teams outside of the American Conference with at least a 5% chance to reach the playoff, and they play each other in a critical game on Saturday. UNLV has scored at least 30 points in each of its six games this season and is 6-0 for the first time since 1974, but it hasn’t always been pretty. UNLV scored the winning touchdown against Air Force with 36 seconds left and allowed the Falcons 603 total yards. The Rebels have the fourth-best chance to reach the playoff at 9% behind the American’s Memphis, South Florida and Tulane.
If the playoff were today
Would be in: South Florida
Work to do: Memphis, Navy, Tulane, UNLV
Bracket
Based on our weekly projection, the seeding would be:
First-round byes
No. 1 Ohio State (Big Ten champ)
No. 2 Miami (ACC champ)
No. 3 Indiana
No. 4 Texas A&M (SEC champ)
First-round games
On campus, Dec. 19 and 20
No. 12 South Florida (American champ) at No. 5 Alabama
No. 11 LSU at No. 6 Ole Miss
No. 10 Oklahoma at No. 7 Georgia
No. 9 Texas Tech (Big 12 champ) at No. 8 Oregon
Quarterfinal games
At the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl Presented by Prudential and Allstate Sugar Bowl on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.
No. 12 South Florida/No. 5 Alabama winner vs. No. 4 Texas A&M
No. 11 LSU/No. 6 Ole Miss winner vs. No. 3 Indiana
No. 10 Oklahoma/No. 7 Georgia winner vs. No. 2 Miami
No. 9 Texas Tech/No. 8 Oregon winner vs. No. 1 Ohio State
The opener of the National League Championship Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers had a little bit of everything.
So what can we expect in Game 2? We’ve got you covered with the top moments from today’s game, as well as takeaways after the final out.
Key links: How this NLCS could decide if baseball is played in 2027 | Bracket
Top moments
Follow pitch-by-pitch on Gamecast
Ohtani gets in on the fun with RBI single
Shohei Ohtani extends the Dodgers lead! #NLCS pic.twitter.com/yPksuiw557
— MLB (@MLB) October 15, 2025
Muncy’s drive adds to L.A.’s lead
Max Muncy got just enough #NLCS https://t.co/ayn3zqzIms pic.twitter.com/Bv02aaeIgv
— MLB (@MLB) October 15, 2025
Dodgers take their first lead of Game 2
Andy Pages drives in the second @Dodgers run of the inning! #NLCS pic.twitter.com/PcRzInEX5m
— MLB (@MLB) October 15, 2025
Teoscar answers with a blast of his own
GAME TWO TEO #NLCS pic.twitter.com/dEZyCDtXJp
— MLB (@MLB) October 15, 2025
Chourio gets Brewers on board first
JACKSON CHOURIO LEADOFF BLAST! #NLCS pic.twitter.com/gi7YrJHXpo
— MLB (@MLB) October 15, 2025
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