Brian Kelly explains why LSU did not name starting quarterback following spring practice

Some major college football programs have already announced who their starting quarterback will be heading into summer training camps. However, the LSU Tigers and head coach Brian Kelly were not a part of that group. During an interview with a local news station, Kelly explains why LSU did not name a starting quarterback following spring practice. And the Tigers headman also went into what role the transfer portal played in their decision not to name a starter.

“Well certainly that’s unintended consequences of that,” said Kelly, in response to whether he planned on not naming a starter to prevent one of the quarterbacks from transferring. “I don’t think we went in there with that game plan; let’s get this thing muddied so nobody can transfer. Here’s what happened. We needed to put a new offense in and that offense really needed to take precedence over fitting it towards any one particular quarterback. And the reality is each one has a different skill set. So what will happen now is that when we go into camp, the real work begins, because we’re gonna have to fit the offense to each one of their skill sets. So the separation will take place in preseason camp.”

Incumbent quarterback Myles Brennan has looked impressive since returning to the team. Brennan was named LSU’s starter before last season, beating out Max Johnson. But after a preseason injury sidelined him, the senior jumped into the transfer portal. After a month in the portal, Brennan returned back to the program. Brennan is one of three likely candidates to take over the reins as starting quarterback for LSU. The senior is in a fierce battle with redshirt freshman Garrett Nussmeier, who saw ample playing time towards the end of the 2021 season. Recently added to the mix this offseason is quarterback Jayden Daniels, who transferred to LSU just before the start of spring practice.

According to Kelly, the three Tigers quarterbacks’ quest for the starting position has just begun. With the priority in the spring being to implement the new offense, the summer will focus on who will give the Tigers the best opportunity to be competitive in 2022. Kelly and LSU have three highly capable quarterbacks who can help the Tigers’ new head coach usher in a new era of greatness in the school’s program. Fans will have to wait until later in the summer to see who is named the starter for week one.