LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier Comfortable Playing in Bryant-Denny Stadium

ATLANTA - Fifth-year LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier is hoping to follow in the footsteps of the last two Tigers signal-callers as he leads the Bayou Bengals for the second straight year. LSU's Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels both piggybacked off moderately successful first years as starting quarterbacks and turned them into historic seasons in college football. Both won the Heisman Trophy as the nation's best player, while Burrow set the bar even higher by leading the Tigers to an undefeated, national championship season.

LSU head coach Brian Kelly sees the same potential in Nussmeier as his redshirt senior has immense experience under center, completing 466 passes for 5772 yards and 40 touchdowns over four seasons. Kelly didn't shy away from the comparisons to Daniels' massive jump in production between his first and second season starting on Monday at SEC Media Days.

"I think we all -- you all saw it. Jayden Daniels' development in year one to year two was astronomical if that word even suits it. It was incredible," Kelly said. "Garrett Nussmeier will have a similar jump. It's because you go on the road and it's sold out. You play teams that are so well coached and so balanced and have great players that you have no choice but to learn, develop, and get better, or you're going to be left by the side.

So that's why I'm so confident that experience in this league at the quarterback position is the most important thing. Could you come in and play as freshmen? Absolutely. But there will be those moments where you look like a freshman. You look like a first-year player. Garrett will tell that you. And he wasn't a true freshman. He had seen it, been there. Being on the field in those situations when everything around you and your best is needed, you need experience. That to me is why he's going to be very successful."

Nussmeier started all 13 games for the Tigers in 2024, leading the Bayou Bengals to a 9-4 record, defeating Baylor in the Texas Bowl to cap off the season. The Tigers dropped their season opener, then reeled off six-straight wins before stumbling into a three-game losing streak that derailed its College Football Playoff hopes.

LSU has College Football Playoff hopes again in 2025, but will need to navigate a challenging schedule to qualify, including taking a trip to Tuscaloosa for the annual rivalry game against Alabama.

Nussmeier is no stranger to Tuscaloosa. He was thrust into action for the Tigers in the 2023 matchup after Jayden Daniels was knocked out out late. Nussmeier completed 5-of-10 passes for 53 yards but couldn't overcome the 14-point hole the Bayou Bengals found themselves in.

That wasn't the first time he had played inside Bryant-Denny Stadium as Nussmeier's father, Doug, served as Nick Saban's third offensive coordinator at Alabama in 2012 and 2013, allowing the younger to feel right at home in Alabama.

"I spent a lot of time in Bryant-Denny as a kid," Nussmeier said. "So I had some memories there. I will say that I didn't feel like the moment was too big. Being there was kind of like when we played at Florida, having those experiences at those places. I've trained on those fields, I've played on those fields before. It wasn't too big of a moment. Definitely, as far as X's and O's, there were some learning experiences from that game, being young and making some mistakes and also doing some things pretty well and learning from those. But very excited to get back there again. We've got a lot of friends still in Tuscaloosa, so anytime we get to go back to a place we lived, it's pretty special, so I'm very excited."

The Crimson Tide's dominated its rivalry recently with LSU, amassing an 11-2 since the 2011 BCS National Championship Game victory with the Tigers' two wins coming in 2019 and 2022. Nussmeier struggled mightily in last season's game, committing three turnovers and scoring the Tigers only touchdown with just 11-seconds remaining in a 42-13 loss.

"Obviously, a really good football team," Nussmeier said. "I mean, anytime we get an LSU-Alabama matchup, it's going to be a heavyweight fight. It doesn't matter what each team's records are that year and so no matter what it looks like at that point in the season, it's going to be a tough one. So we approach it just as we do any week, though. At the end of the day, it's a faceless opponent, so that's just kind of the mindset.

The Crimson Tide welcomes LSU on Saturday, Nov. 8 as both programs look to keep College Football Playoff hopes alive.

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