Will Campbell believes Garrett Nussmeier will 'light the SEC up'

LSU is going to look a little different at the quarterback position this year.

The Tigers have the tall task of replacing Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels in 2024. Instead of reaching into the transfer portal for a new shiny toy, LSU head coach Brian Kelly opted to pick veteran Garrett Nussmeier as he successor.

His longtime presence in the locker room appears to have earned him the respect of his peers. His performance on the field backs that up, according to LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell.

“[Nussmeier] has definitely waited his turn,” Campbell said on Monday. “I couldn’t be more excited for him. He’s gonna go out there and light the SEC up. I mean, obviously the offense is different compared to last year. i mean, everyone here knows [Nussmeier] isn’t gonna bust down the sideline for 90 [yards], every five plays — but he very well could. The style is different. But it’s going to effective, we’re going to get the job done and score a lot of points.”

Finally getting his shot, Nussmeier heads into the 2024 season coming off one of the best games of his career. Able to start in the Tigers’ bowl game due to Daniels’ choice to opt out of the ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Wisconsin. Scoring was plentiful under Nussemeir’s guide.

Nussmeier completed 31 of his 45 passes for 395 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. The Tigers trailed the Badgers by two scores early in the matchup, but Nussmeier’s led LSU to overcome the deficit and outscored the Badgers 35-17 — which was capped by a 98-yard game-winning drive — over the final three quarters. It was LSU’s 10th win of the season, who ended its season with a 35-31 victory.

The patient 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 as Daniels’ backup, Nussmeier threw for four touchdowns on 591 passing yards and one pick. Most impressively, Nussemeier was not sacked in 78 passing attempts last season, which includes his 45 passes in the bowl game. He can tip his cap to Campbell for that statistics.

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