Joe Burrow did it in his fifth season. Jayden Daniels did, too. Now LSU’s fifth-year senior signal caller Garrett Nussmeier has many believing he can achieve the performance improvement his predecessors Burrow and Daniels had as fifth-year college football quarterbacks, and Nussmeier is one of the preseason favorites to contend for the Heisman Trophy. That has many in Baton Rouge, across Louisiana and the nation believing the Tigers will be one of — if not the best — in college football this season, capable of a spot in the College Football Playoff and a potential national championship.
After being projected as a first- or second-round pick in the NFL Draft, Nussmeier announced his intention to return to LSU in 2025.
In his first year as LSU’s starter in 2024, the quarterback showed NFL-caliber talent. He threw for 4,052 yards, 29 touchdowns versus 12 interceptions and completed 64.2% of his passes.
The Tigers stumbled out of the gate in 2024, losing the season opener to USC before rattling off a six-game win streak. But a three-game losing skid in late October and November to Texas A&M, Alabama and Florida — marked by a big drop in the QB’s play — sealed the Tigers’ fate. The team earned season-ending victories over Vanderbilt and Oklahoma to finish 8-4 overall and 5-3 in the SEC before earning a Texas Bowl win over Baylor, but fans were left asking, “What if?”
LSU head coach Brian Kelly, who, famously — or infamously — became the first head coach to leave Notre Dame to take the same position at a different school, came to LSU to win a national championship. Never mind the Irish played in a national championship game before his Tigers even qualified for the playoffs. Still, he has bravado. He believes 2025 is the year he can make his championship dream come true. In his press conference after the regular season finale against the Sooners, Kelly told reporters, “We’re taking receipts, and we’ll see you at the national championship.”
In the offseason, Kelly focused on building one of the best corps of wide receivers in college football. While they lost CJ Daniels to the transfer portal, they return Aaron Anderson (61 receptions, 884 yards, 5 TDs in 2024), Chris Hilton Jr. (9, 243, 3), and Zavion Thomas (23, 218, 2) and, through the transfer portal, added Barion Brown (29, 361, 3) from Kentucky, Nic Anderson (0, 0, 0) from Oklahoma, and Destyn Hill (6, 87, 0) from Florida State. This unit is fast and in addition to helping LSU retain its moniker of “Wide Receiver U.,” should assist Nussmeier in completing more deep passes, one of his deficiencies last season.
If the Tigers can hit on more big, flashy, highlight reel passing plays, Nussmeier will be able to build a Heisman resume that will compete with and outshine his competition — Texas’ Arch Manning, Oklahoma’s John Mateer, Penn State’s Drew Allar, Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava, Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, SMU’s Kevin Jennings, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers and Florida’s DJ Lagway.
LSU opens the 2025 season at Clemson on August 30, and a strong head-to-head performance against Klubnik could give Nussmeier a huge burst of momentum early in the race.
National pundits, including SEC college football analyst Paul Finebaum, who has a nationally broadcast TV and radio show, are “very high on him” for showing “flashes of greatness” in 2024. That kind of attention has helped lift Nussmeier’s profile and earning ability. On3, a website that covers college sports and name, image and likeness (NIL) contracts, projects LSU’s QB to have a $ 3.6 million NIL valuation, which ranks ninth among all college athletes and fifth among college football quarterbacks.
For the remainder of the preseason, a major focus of LSU’s offense will center on Nussmeier building chemistry and confidence with his receivers and offensive line, which lost four of its five starters — both tackles, Will Campbell and Emery Jones, and both guards, Miles Frazier and Garrett Dellinger. Tyree Adams, who played left tackle in the Texas Bowl after Campbell declared for the NFL Draft, will likely keep his spot. Center DJ Chester returns but may move to left guard this year, allowing transfer Braelin Moore (Virginia Tech) to snap the ball this year. Josh Thompson, who transferred from Northwestern is penciled in at right guard while Weston Davis, a five-star recruit in the 2024 class, will play right tackle.
For all the hype, Nussmeier seems more focused on team achievements rather than personal ones.
“I’m worried about doing the best I can do to help LSU win a national championship,” he said during spring practice. “That’s the mindset.”
Chris Price is an award-winning journalist and public relations principal. When he’s not writing, he’s avid about music, the outdoors, and Saints, Ole Miss and Chelsea football.
