LSU Football Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier the Early Heisman Frontrunner

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier revealed in December that he would be returning to Baton Rouge for the 2025 season with unfinished business in the purple and gold.

Nussmeier, the Tigers' starting signal-caller in 2024, will look to build off of a productive redshirt-junior campaign for the Bayou Bengals last fall.

He capped off the regular season with 3,738 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 12 games played while being the catalyst to an impressive passing attack in Death Valley.

Now, Nussmeier is back in the purple and gold for the 2025 season with expectations higher than ever for the program after surrounding him with elite talent offensively.

The Lake Charles native bypassed the 2025 NFL Draft where he had the chance to be a Top-5 quarterback taken in April.

Instead, he'll return to LSU for his final season of eligibility under Brian Kelly.

It became a monumental decision for Nussmeier with the Tigers retaining their cornerstone to the program for one more season.

“This year was a huge growth year for me,” Nussmeier said after the Oklahoma game. “I said in September I hoped I would be a better player by the end of the year than I was then and I think that has proven to be true. Our team got better throughout the year and there were things we had to fix and we improved. I’m happy for us and our team and for me personally, I continued to grow my game and I look forward to continuing to do that into the offseason.”

Now, he's a name to watch for the 2025 Heisman Trophy, according to CBS Sports' Blake Brockermeyer and other analysts.

"I love his gunslinger mentality and reminds me a little of Brett Favre in that regard. He has a big arm and can throw into high windows. I expect he will be surrounded by a solid supporting cast in 2025 and should put up big numbers and on big stages.”

Other outlets are also in on Nussmeier as a frontrunner: