LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier Says he and Arch Manning Have a Great Relationship at Manning Passing Academy

LSU football fans are pretty excited that quarterback Garrett Nussmeier will be coming back to Baton Rouge to compete for a national championship instead of declaring for the NFL draft. And there is no better place to continue honing his skills than at the Manning Passing Academy.

The Academy is hosted by Peyton, Eli, Archie and Cooper Manning. This year’s camp is being held on the campus of Nicholls State University and has an attendance of approximately 1,450 young athletes and 120 high school football coaches. Nussmeier and Arch Manning were roommates who also served as camp counselors.

This is Nussmeier’s third time as a mentor at the Academy. After practice, Garrett spoke to the media about what being invited to the Academy has meant to him. He said, “It’s awesome to be out here, to get to spend time with the other quarterbacks across the country. This is my third year here, and it’s a great experience. You get out here and get to compete with them, hang out and just talk through different things. A lot of us know each other. Quarterbacks are a very tight-knit group. We’ve all been to camps with each other since we were young and things like that, so it’s all familiar faces and it’s always a lot of fun to get to catch up and reminisce.”

Nussmeier also talked about his relationship with Arch Manning. He said, “It means a lot to me. Arch, he’s a really good player. I want nothing but the best for him. He may say he looks up to me but there’s definitely a part of me that looks up to him too. His ability, his swagger, and his mindset, it’s really fun to watch. He’s a really, really good player and I’m rooting for him this year. We have a great relationship…I’m very appreciative of him.”

Nussmeier is gearing up for his fifth and last season in college football. After attending last year’s Manning Academy, LSU started out strong with a 6-1 record but three consecutive SEC losses put them out of contention for the national title. Garrett is hoping to change that with this upcoming season.

LSU will have its first game of the 2025-26 season on August 30th at 6:30 pm CT when they take on Clemson.