Garrett Nussmeier on being the starter at LSU: 'Getting to live that dream is amazing'

LSU has had some phenomenal quarterback play in recent years, enough to produce a pair of Heisman Trophy winners. So new starter Garrett Nussmeier will have no easy task taking over the reins.

But he got to watch Jayden Daniels up close a year ago, picking up all the little things that made Daniels one of the best quarterbacks in the game.

Importantly, he’s ready to take on the mantle of leadership.

“It means everything to get to represent this university, to get to represent this state,” Nussmeier told On3’s Shea Dixon at the Manning Passing Academy. “Being the quarterback of LSU is a dream of mine since I was a kid. So getting to live that dream is amazing. I feel extremely blessed and I think God each and every day when I wake up that this is the life I get to live right now.”

Garrett Nussmeier has certainly looked the part in the limited action he’s seen over the last three years. Moreover, he’s got some big-game experience.

He’s been involved in an overtime contest against Arkansas and an SEC Championship Game against Georgia. He’s also had the full reins in a bowl game, getting the nod in a thoroughly impressive 35-31 win over Wisconsin last season.

But he’s yet to throw for 1,000 yards in a season, while his touchdown-to-interception ratio has bounced around quite a bit.

Garrett Nussmeier knows he’s stepping into a different light this season and he needs to be ready to produce.

“It’s my job and I feel like it’s my responsibility to be the best that I can be, to do the best that I can for my team, just for everybody that supports for us, everybody that roots for us,” he said. “So that’s my goal is just to make sure people who believe in me and believe in us, to make sure that I do what I can to pay them back.”

Garrett Nussmeier won’t have a ton of time to get his feet fully under him before he’s needed in a major way. Just fall camp, really.

LSU opens its season with a neutral-site game, the Vegas Kickoff Classic, against USC at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sept. 1.