LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier threw for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns last season and had a decision to make. He could have decided to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft.
There’s a chance he could have performed well at the Draft Combine and at individual workouts and been a first-round pick. But Nussmeier felt there was unfinished business after the Tigers failed to reach the College Football Playoff last season.
For the third time in seven years, LSU has a starting quarterback who is in his second season. The previous two, Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels won Heisman Trophies.
Coach Brian Kelly says that’s a high bar for Nussmeier to attain, but that’s not what is driving him.
“Garrett is at LSU because he loves LSU and he wants to lead our football team to a championship and if the Heisman falls with that I think he’s good with that,” Kelly said.
“But all of our conversations with him are not about individual goals, they are about how do I lead this football team to a championship and all we’ve seen from him is leading, him being selfless. His selflessness is going to be the differentiator from last year to this year as well as the experience he had playing against really good SEC teams.”
Kelly believes the experience Nussmeier received starting last year will benefit him greatly this season. While all eyes will be on first year starting quarterback Arch Manning at Texas. Kelly says Manning lacks the experience of playing a full season at LSU.
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There are two things Nussmeier wants to do this season, based on his experiences from last year. Fewer interceptions, he threw 12 last year.
The other thing Nuss Bus wants to do is run the football when the opportunity is there.
“Really bought into changing my body make-up and being able to be more durable, to be able to run, to be able to make plays with my feet as well, I think there were times last year where I may have made a mistake that if I would have put my head down and got back to the line of scrimmage or went for three yards and slid, it would have been a different outcome,” Nussmeier.
Nussmeier is excited about the talent around him, and his personal life is good.
He recently got engaged to his longtime girlfriend and his parents now live just over an hour away as his dad, Doug Nussmeier, is the Saints new offensive coordinator.
“God is so good, to have this opportunity as a family, it’s something that I am forever grateful for, it’s hard to describe what type of feeling it brings to our family, my Dad has spent the last couple of years across the country away from us, he was in LA the year before last and in Philadelphia last year, to have him not only close to us but in the same state, I thank God every day,” Nussmeier said.
If LSU wins a national championship this year, Tiger fans will thank God that Nussmeier returned for his senior season.