Brian Kelly's Take: LSU Football's Head Coach Pumping Brakes on Texas QB Arch Manning

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers continue navigating a critical offseason in Baton Rouge with the program set to debut a new-look roster this fall.

The Bayou Bengals will have a unique blend of returning talent alongside the No. 1 Transfer Portal Class in America heading into the 2025 season.

But the one key returning piece will be quarterback Garrett Nussmeier.

Nussmeier, the Bayou Bengals' starting signal-caller in 2024, will look to build off of a rollercoaster redshirt-junior campaign for the purple and gold with unfinished business for Kelly's program.

LSU's QB1 will look to develop this offseason after piecing together a 2024 campaign where he totaled 4,052 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 13 games played.

The buzz heading into the 2025 season is which quarterback will take control as the Southeastern Conference's top signal-caller: Nussmeier or Texas' Arch Manning.

Kelly dove into his belief in Nussmeier and why he's pumping the brakes on Manning.

“Look, we hear it every day because (Manning is) from Louisiana. … And listen, there’s another guy that hears it all the time and that’s Garrett Nussmeier,” Kelly told ESPN’s Rece Davis and Pete Thamel during Tuedsay’s episode of the College GameDay Podcast.

“He’s committed, and more than anything else, he’s experienced. And in this league, you need to see the bullets flying. Ask Jayden Daniels when he threw for (80) yards against Auburn (in 2022). We were coming back on the plane and I told Mike Denbrock and Joe Sloan at the time, ‘If we keep throwing for (80) yards, we’re not going to be together very long. We need (Daniels) to develop.’

“All I’m saying is, Nussmeier has seen it. He knows what he’s going to get,” Kelly added. “There’s a confidence he’ll bring each and every game through experience, maybe even through some scar tissue, that’s going to allow him to be, I believe, the best quarterback.”

But Kelly understands why Manning is receiving the praise that he does. The talented Louisiana native has all the physical tools, but for Kelly, it's about showcasing it in-game.