GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
ATLANTA – Who knows how LSU’s 2024 season could have turned out if quarterback Garrett Nussmeier could go back in time to midway in the third quarter against Texas A&M last season?
No. 8 LSU was 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the Southeastern Conference at the time, coming off its best two wins of the season – 29-26 over No. 9 Ole Miss and 34-10 at Arkansas. They were also two of the best games of Nussmeier – a junior first-year starter. Then the Tigers led at No. 14 Texas A&M, 17-7, the next week and appeared to be on their merry way.
Until, Texas A&M replaced starting quarterback Conner Weigman with Marcel Reed with 8:17 to go in the third period. Reed rushed nine time for 62 yards and three touchdowns while completing 2 of 2 passes for another 70, and the Aggies came back for a 38-23 win. LSU lost two in a row after that to fall out of playoff contention and finished 9-4 and 5-3 in the SEC.
LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier sporting cool purple blazer at SEC Media Days in Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/mZkPxPiv4L
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) July 14, 2025
But A&M wasn’t all on LSU’s suddenly porous defense. Nussmeier threw interceptions on back-to-back possessions of that span in the third quarter, setting the Aggies up inside the 10 each time for touchdowns and a 28-17 lead early in the fourth quarter. He added another interception late to ice the game for the Aggies.
Nussmeier threw two more critical picks in a 42-13 loss to Alabama two weeks later. That’s five interceptions in two games of his 12 for the season. The picks are what pushed him down to No. 42 in the nation in passing efficiency at 142.7 – well behind Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, who finished No. 1 in efficiency at 180.7 with just six interceptions on 276-of-398 passing for 4,279 yards and 29 touchdowns.
Nussmeier also threw 29 TDs and completed 337 of 525 passes for 4,052 yards. Those numbers were among the elite of quarterbacks last season.
“One, there’s no hiding from the turnovers,” Nussmeier said at SEC Media Days Thursday. “I think it’s more of an understanding of the way I am as a player. As an anticipation player, there’s going to be some interceptions. The ones I need to eliminate are the ones that don’t need to happen – the ones where I’m trying to do too much, the ones I’m trying to make a play when I don’t need to.”
Filibuster master Huey Long would’ve been proud of the alderman’s son from Chelsea, Massachusetts, on Monday. Column:https://t.co/gG1zJv7rLS
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) July 14, 2025
One solution is for Nussmeier to run more, which LSU coach Brian Kelly harped on last season.
“I’ve really bought into trying to change my body makeup and being able to be more durable, to be able to run, to be able to make plays with my feet as well,” he said.
Nussmeier has remained at 200 pounds, but he has put on more muscle and is eating better for more endurance.
“There were times last year where I may have made a mistake,” he said. “If I would have put my head down, gone and got back to the line of scrimmage, or ran for three yards and slid, it would have been a different outcome. All tied in together.”
He also ignored wide open running lanes while rolling out or in the pocket, deciding instead to pass – sometimes into a crowd.
“We’ll see,” he said. “I’m going to try to run more. There are also many ways I’m trying to grow as well and be better as a player. As I said before, it’s more about becoming more well rounded and raising the floor.”
He has watched and re-watched the A&M and Alabama games.
“For one, just having last year to be able to go back on now and watch, study,” he said. “This entire off-season has been about that for me, just watching all parts of the game, seeing the areas where I need to be critical on myself on and improve at – whether it’s taking care of the football or using my legs more in situations that I need to.”
In other words, Nussmeier needs to be more like Jayden Daniels and Joe Burrow before him. Daniels became one of the best running quarterbacks in NCAA history in 2023. Burrow became LSU’s best running quarterback in LSU history – pre-Daniels – in 2018 and ’19. Each won the Heisman Trophy as seniors in their second season as starters.
Nussmeier wants to run more and perfect his game as a senior in his second season as a starter, but he wants to be himself as well.
“It’s huge to me,” he said. “I think obviously with the track record that LSU quarterbacks have in the past, it’s not a thing of disrespect. I have a lot of respect for Jayden, a lot of respect for Joe, and what they were able to accomplish in their second years. But as I said before, I’m me. At the end of the day, I’m Garrett Nussmeier. I’m a follower of God. That’s who I am. That’s who God made me be. And I’m worried about improving myself, being the best I can be to lead us where we want to go.”
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