Jayden Daniels wins LSU QB competition, will start tonight vs. FSU

Brian Kelly had a tough quarterback room to navigate in Year One as the LSU head coach. The picture became clearer when Myles Brennan decided to step away from football, leaving the competition to two players. After a full spring and fall camp of battling, Kelly has named Jayden Daniels the starting quarterback over Garrett Nussmeier, per On3’s Matt Zenitz.

Daniels will now lead the Tigers onto the field Sept. 4 against Florida State. Being part of the long Labor Day weekend, it will be a pseudo-home game for LSU, playing at the Ceasers Dome in New Orleans. With Daniels running the show, Kelly expects a high-powered offense throughout the year.

Nussmeier was considered the in-house product, while Daniels came via the transfer portal and Arizona State. Not playing in the bowl game last year, Nussmeier kept his redshirt by only appearing in four games during the 2021 season, while Daniels continued to excel in the Pac-12.

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In three seasons with the Sun Devils, Daniels threw for 6,025 yards and 32 touchdowns. He completed 62.4% of his throws but added 13 interceptions. Of course, Daniels’ 2022 season was cut short due to the COVID-19-affected schedule.

On the flip side, had Nussmeier been the selection, there would have only been four games of experience to go off of. The true freshman had 329 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions just a year ago.

Brennan was considered the wildcard of the quarterback race before deciding to drop out. He began the offseason by entering the transfer portal but was convinced to come back to LSU. Instead of prolonging his college football career, Brennan decided to hang up the laces.

The fourth and outside candidate of the bunch was freshman Walker Howard. A highly rated four-star prospect coming out of high school, he is projected to be the third-string quarterback this year. Howard already has a great relationship with Nussemier as well, with the two competing with one another on the golf course. There might be limited action this season but for now, Howard will be one for the future.