LSU’s starting quarterback situation is a gametime decision, with Brian Kelly stating he’d like to play it close to the chest for a “tactical advantage,” per Shea Dixon. The two candidates are Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels and redshirt freshman Garrett Nussmeier, with Myles Brennan stepping away from football heading into this season.
Both quarterbacks bring different things to the table, with Daniels bringing explosiveness by way of the run-pass option and Nussmeier bringing confidence in the pocket passing game with some maneuverability outside of the pocket. While reports indicate Daniels is the likely front-runner, Kelly is undoubtedly taking a lot of factors into consideration of his first big move at LSU’s coach.
Daniels threw for 6,025 yards in three yards with the Sun Devils, including 32 touchdowns on 62.4 percent passing. He also ran for 1,288 more over that span season, including 710 last year alone. He had 13 more touchdowns come via the run.
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Nussmeier, meanwhile, is working off a significantly smaller sample size. He completed 29 of 57 passes last year for 329 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Going with him is going with an unproven prospect, but it may be a continuity the Tigers are more comfortable with.
Here are the candidates for LSU’s starter next season.
Who is Jayden Daniels?
A four-star recruit out of California, Daniels joined Arizona State and started as a true freshman. He would carry that role for three years, which included a Sun Bowl win over Florida State as a freshman and a loss in the Las Vegas bowl last year to Wisconsin.
Daniels was recruited as a true dual-threat quarterback, and he lived up to the billing at Arizona State, with his explosiveness being a hallmark of his game. His touchdown-to-interception ratio was 32:13 during his time at Arizona State, but 10 of those interceptions came last season.
| Year | GP | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yards | TD | Int | Att | Yds | Avg | Rush TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 11 | 205 | 338 | 60.7 | 2,943 | 17 | 2 | 125 | 355 | 2.8 | 3 |
| 2020 | 4 | 49 | 84 | 58.3 | 701 | 5 | 1 | 33 | 223 | 6.8 | 4 |
| 2021 | 13 | 197 | 301 | 65.4 | 2,380 | 10 | 10 | 138 | 710 | 5.1 | 6 |
| Career | 28 | 451 | 723 | 62.4 | 6,025 | 32 | 13 | 296 | 1,288 | 4.4 | 13 |
Daniels transferred to LSU after his junior season, which resulted in a bit of a firestorm around him due to comments from his mom. His transfer came on March 6, but he left some drama with the program, as his mom allegedly helped with ASU recruiting violations.
The violations reportedly occurred during the COVID-19 recruiting dead period, and after Daniels left, his mom seemingly had some words for the program.
“We wish them well … we just had to let it go,” Regina Jackson said, per AZ Central. “They feel some type of way and I understand. I’m a businesswoman and I understand. However, LSU probably gained a lot of Arizona State fans cause they just waited for him to fail and it’s OK.”
Perhaps Daniels just needs a fresh start. He has the experience to start, but whether or not he fits in Kelly’s offense is another question.
Who is Garrett Nussmeier?
Garrett Nussmeier was another four-star recruit from Flower Mound, Tex.. A Lake Charles, Louisiana native, he has a pedigree in his father Doug, who is currently the quarterback coach for the Dallas Cowboys. He also played college football with Idaho.
In an interesting wrinkle, LSU wanted Nussmeier to start last year’s Texas Bowl and maintain redshirt status, but the NCAA denied the Tigers’ petition. While that was an old regime and doesn’t necessarily tip anything with LSU’s plans, it’s indicative of what they saw out of his statline last year.
A redshirt freshman this year, Nussmeier doesn’t bring much in the way of stats to the fold. For him, it’s all potential. He completed 29 of 57 passes for 329 yards last season, but the offense hardly put him in a position to succeed as the team reeled in coaching flux after the firing of Ed Orgeron. Under Kelly and with an overhauled roster, he may get a better shot this season.
One thing that might affect Nussmeier is the ankle injury that kept him out of drills last month, but according to him, he’s healthy.
“I’m feeling good. I’m back at 100 percent,” Nussmeier said, per Saturday Down South. “I’m blessed to be out there, never take anything for granted.”
Could Brian Kelly play both quarterbacks?
One option is playing both, but with a game against Florida State, this isn’t like Michigan taking on Colorado State and Hawaii and playing Cade McNamara and J.J. McCarthy. Whoever gets the reps for LSU should probably be looking to play out the game.
Furthermore, LSU is looking to have a rebound season of its own, so the first game of the season isn’t the best time to hold tryouts. With that being said, Kelly is no stranger to playing multiple quarterbacks. At Notre Dame he did so multiple times, so he may try to experiment with the Tigers as well.
Daniels and Nussmeier both have the ability to run, but Nussmeier likes to throw first, sometimes at his own peril. In other words, they bring similar-but-different styles to the LSU offense.
According to Kelly, LSU already knows the starter and is only withholding the name from the media. In other words, someone already holds the edge. We’ll know at gametime who that is.
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