​After spending three years donning the LSU baseball uniform, Grant Fontenot is set to step into the next phase of his professional journey. In the 2026 MLB Draft, the Kansas City Royals selected the right-handed pitcher in the tenth round with the 299th overall pick. The slot value for this selection is $195,600. Fontenot’s college career spans five years, with three of those years spent at LSU in Baton Rouge. He redshirted the 2022 season at LSU, then continued his development with stints at McLennan Community College and the University of Texas before returning to the Tigers for the 2025 season. He contributed to LSU’s national championship run and elected to remain with the program for another year.
Standing six feet three inches tall, Fontenot hails from Lafayette, Louisiana. During the 2026 season, he appeared in 21 games, logging a 4.18 ERA and making four starts. He recorded 42 strikeouts over 32.1 innings, performing primarily in relief roles. That year represented the heaviest workload of his college career at the Power Five level, underscoring his durability and versatility on the mound.
Fontenot’s draft selection adds him to a growing list of LSU alumni from the 2026 Tigers squad who have found new paths in professional baseball. He becomes the fourth former Tiger from that contingent to be drafted, joining Derek Cruiel, who went No. 5 overall to the Pittsburgh Pirates; Jake Brown, selected No. 65 overall by the Seattle Mariners; and Deven Sheerin, chosen No. 128 overall by the Philadelphia Phillies.
This overview of Fontenot’s journey reflects a player who has navigated transfers, redshirts, and a championship run to arrive at the doorstep of a professional career. His blend of size, experience, and late-blooming production at the Power Five level contributed to the Royals’ decision to invest a tenth-round pick in him. Fontenot’s future will unfold in the organization’s development system, where he will aim to translate his collegiate mound presence into sustained success at higher levels of competition.