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Garrett Nussmeier on staying at LSU, not transferring: 'I wouldn't want to be anywhere else'

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•07/05/25•

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LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier
Stephen Lew | Imagn Images

Following his redshirt freshman season in 2021, Garrett Nussmeier went through a coaching change at LSU as Brian Kelly took over. The Tigers then brought in Jayden Daniels from the transfer portal and he wound up spending two years in Baton Rouge, winning the Heisman Trophy in 2023.

All the while, Nussmeier sat behind him as QB2 and waited for his chance at becoming the starter. That happened in 2024, and he made the most of the opportunity, throwing for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Now, Nussmeier is back for Year 2 as the Tigers’ starting quarterback in 2025 after opting not to declare for the NFL Draft. His patience paid off, and he told Yahoo! Sports’ Jason Fitz he’s more than happy with his decision to stay at LSU.

“For one, as I speak on all the time, it’s important to have an idea of who you are and have a foundation,” Nussmeier said. “For me, that’s been my faith and trusting in God and his timing and his plan for me. Just been able to keep my head down and go to work and try to get better at the things that I knew I needed to work on.

“I think it’s been a huge advantage for me to be able to stay in the same system and have the same school and be around the same coaches and similar teammates. It’s something that I’m very grateful that I made that decision. I’m very blessed and very thankful. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else than LSU.”

Expectations are high for Nussmeier this season, given the recent history of second-year starters at LSU. He has the second-shortest odds to win the Heisman Trophy, trailing only Texas quarterback and his Manning Passing Academy roommate Arch Manning, according to Circa Sports.

Garrett Nussmeier knows he’s facing a high bar in 2025. But he’s in a different headspace now that he has a full season of film to break down, meaning he has a clearer of picture of where to improve.

“It’s a lot,” Nussmeier said. “Being able to watch an entire season, correct mistakes and to go back and see my weaknesses and see things that I need to improve on, find the tells that I may have been giving to defenses and things like that. It’s a totally different ballgame, to have a full season to be able to watch and correct. Also, just from my personal growth as a player and having those experiences under my belt, I’ve seen a lot.

“We saw a lot of different defenses last year, a lot of different things. People had to try a lot of different things to stop us. Being able to see all those things – all those different pressures, all the different coverages – is something that’s going to help me a lot.”