When Garrett Nussmeier didn’t leave LSU while spending three seasons as a backup quarterback in spite of his lofty recruiting pedigree, it turned heads. When he decided to return for a fifth year at LSU instead of declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft, delaying a lucrative professional contract, plenty of those questions stirred once again.
But the answer, for Nussmeier, at least, is simple: he has loftier goals outside of his own personal gain.
“I didn’t want to watch anybody else be the guy that leads LSU to a national championship,” Nussmeier said in an interview with SEC Network. “LSU means the world to me. Louisiana means the world to me. Also, my faith helped me so much throughout that decision process. I feel like it was the same reason why I stayed when everybody was trying to tell me to leave and transfer.
“God brought me to LSU for a reason. I always wanted to win a national championship here. It wasn’t about winning a Heisman or being the first overall pick. It was just about winning championships, so having that opportunity, I just couldn’t pass it up.”
Nussmeier isn’t a native of Louisiana. He didn’t even play high school football the Pelican State. He signed with LSU in 2021 out of Flower Mound (Texas) Marcus High School while his dad, Doug Nussmeier, coached quarterbacks for the Dallas Cowboys.
It did not take him long to assimilate to his new home, though.
“Everybody that is from Louisiana probably can understand it,” Nussmeier said. “Just that stadium, that environment, the passion of the fans — it’s one state around one team and it’s one state in one stadium. Obviously, they’re probably a couple drinks deep and up and down taking their shirts off and swinging them around. There’s no place like Death Valley, so it was just an unbelievable opportunity.”
The first step for LSU, and Nussmeier, on the journey to a national title is making the College Football Playoff. The Tigers have yet to reach that level under coach Brian Kelly, even though he produced a former Heisman winner in quarterback Jayden Daniels and plenty of first-round draft picks.
Getting Nussmeier back is a great step towards finally breaking through. He’s the nation’s top returning passer, as he finished fifth in the FBS last season with 4,052 yards through the air and tied for 10th nationally with 29 touchdowns passing.
Although LSU replaces two of its top three receivers, including star tight end Mason Taylor, the Tigers loaded up in the transfer portal with the likes of Nic Anderson (Oklahoma) and Barion Brown (Kentucky). Former two-sport standout Trey’Dez Green, who previously played basketball for LSU before deciding to focus entirely on football, will fill the void left by Taylor.
Nussmeier will also play behind four new starting offensive linemen. Transfers Josh Thompson (Northwestern) and Braelin Moore (Virginia Tech) are in the mix to play alongside the likes of Tyree Adams, who played 139 snaps with two starts last season.
LSU gets a chance to measure its staying power on the national stage in Week 1 of the 2025 season when it takes on reigning ACC champion Clemson.
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