LSU Baseball Assistant Coach Labeled 'Favorite' in Duke Blue Devils Coaching Search

Originally posted on LSU Tigers on SI | By Zack Nagy | Last updated Jun 10, 2025 12:11 PM ET

Jay Johnson and the LSU Tigers are Omaha bound after defeating the West Virginia Mountaineers to capture the Baton Rouge Super Regional on Sunday night.

The victory secured a berth in the College World Series for LSU, which will participate in the CWS for the 20th time in its illustrious baseball history, and for the second time in three seasons.

LSU has won seven College World Series championships, most recently claiming the title in 2023.

“I told the team after the game, I’m super proud of them because the rewards of ‘tough and together’ were out there on the field tonight,” Johnson said on Sunday. “I can’t wait to go chase a national championship with them.

“It’s so fun and exciting and rewarding to see all the people so passionate about LSU Baseball, and I’m so thankful for the effort from everybody in this program. And it was an awesome night. I have a lot of gratitude, and I’m just very thankful.”

But the Tigers remain in headlines for various reasons this week.

From navigating a College World Series berth to the NCAA Transfer Portal to assistant coaches being in the mix for other jobs, it's a busy stretch in Baton Rouge.

LSU assistant coach Josh Jordan has been labeled as the frontrunner in the Duke Blue Devils head coaching search.

LSU assistant Josh Jordan is widely viewed as the favorite to replace Chris Pollard at Duke, according to multiple sources. Jordan spent a decade under Pollard as his top assistant. One source told @BaseballAmerica that they would be "stunned" if Jordan didn't assume the role.
— Jacob Rudner (@JacobRudner) June 10, 2025

Duke head coach Chris Pollard has accepted the head coaching gig with the Virginia Cavaliers after 12 seasons with the Blue Devils. He guided the program to four Super Regionals during his time in Durham (N.C.).

For Jordan, he spent 10 seasons with the Duke program prior to making the move to join Johnson in Baton Rouge in 2022 where he worked closely under Pollard with the Blue Devils.

The current expectation, according to multiple reports, is that Jordan will be the Duke Blue Devils' top target in the program's head coaching search.

I'll have more on potential @DukeBASE candidates, but @LSUbaseball top assistant/recruiting coordinator Josh Jordan, who was at Duke for 10 years during its rise, is expected to be a leading candidate for the position.
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) June 10, 2025

Jordan has been the top assistant under Johnson during his tenure in Baton Rouge while serving a premier role as the recruiting coordinator for the program.

Jordan assisted in guiding a 2023 LSU squad that led the SEC in 12 offensive categories, including batting average (.308), slugging percentage (.554), on-base percentage (.432), runs (634), hits (744), RBI (582), total bases (1,337), HBP (143), walks (413); sacrifice flies (42); plate appearances (3,028) and at-bats (2,412).

Now, all signs point towards the elite assistant coach being a frontrunner in Duke's head coaching search.