Garrett Nussmeier opens up about his personal growth as a player

Garrett Nussmeier will probably be Jayden Daniels‘successor to his Heisman Trophy-winning season. He has since moved on to the NFL, leaving the reins to veteran Nussmeier entering year three in Brian Kelly’s offense.

2024 will be Nussmeier’s fourth season in Baton Rouge. Many quarterbacks in the same position would have served primarily as a backup and opted to explore their options in the transfer portal. Instead, Nussmeier has remained patient, improved his game, and has been rewarded for it.

“It never changes,” Nussmeier said of the expectations he sets for himself. “You always want to get better every day, you know, and I hope if you interview me in ten years and I’m in my eighth year in the league, I’d say I’m working on the exact same things. Just continue to get better and focus on the question, “What am I looking at today?” Okay, notice something. Okay, how can I improve in that area? It just keeps getting better, like I said, every day, just keeping my head down and going to work.

Nussmeier enters the 2024 season having had one of the best games of his career. He could start in the Tigers’ bowl game thanks to Daniels’ choice not to play in the ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Wisconsin.

Ultimately, Nussmeier completed 31 of his 45 passes for 395 yards and three touchdowns, while throwing just one interception. The Tigers trailed Wisconsin by two scores early in the game, but behind Nussmeier’s lead, LSU overcame the deficit and outscored the Badgers 35-17, capped by a 98-yard game-winning drive. It was LSU’s 10th win of the season, ending the season with a 35-31 win.

In total, Nussmeier has spent three seasons with the Tigers. During that time, he has thrown for 1,790 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. In 2023, Nussmeier has thrown for four touchdowns on 591 passing yards and one pick as Daniels’ backup. Most impressively, Nussmeier went unsacked on 78 passing attempts last season, including, of course, his 45 passes in the bowl game.

Nussmeier will look to carry his strong bowl performance into the new year when LSU kicks off the 2024 college football season against USC in the Vegas Kickoff Classic on September 1. The Tigers begin SEC play against South Carolina on the road during Week 3.