LSU linebacker Whit Weeks (40) SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

‘We’re winning the natty': SEC star predicts national championship amid return of $3.8 million QB

Originally posted on NIL on SI | By JC Shelton | Last updated Aug 4, 2025 7:43 PM ET

LSU star linebacker Whit Weeks is certainly confident in the Tigers' national championship potential behind the arm of quarterback Garrett Nussmeier.

After playing for an SEC championship with Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jayden Daniels in 2023, head coach Brian Kelly's Tigers finished an ultimately disappointing 9-4 with Nussmeier as a first-year starter last season.

Despite leading the conference in interceptions (12), Nussmeier showed glimpses of elite talent and finished second in the SEC in passing (4,052 yards).

He could have entered the 2025 NFL Draft, but elected to return to Baton Rouge as a fifth-year senior. That decision could pay off in a big way for Nussmeier, who holds a $3.8 million On3 NIL valuation while considered as a potential first-round pick in 2026.

Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Nussmeier is supported in full by teammate Weeks, who revealed on Netflix's "SEC Football: Any Given Saturday" that he pleaded with his quarterback to give it another run this year in hopes for a national championship trophy.

"I just told him, I was like, 'Dude, if you come back, we're winning the natty,' Weeks said in the upcoming documentary. "Like, there's no doubt in my mind. Like, next year is LSU's year."

“I just told him, I was like, ‘Dude, if you come back, we’re winning the natty.’” @LSUfootball QB Garrett Nussmeier discusses his decision on whether to enter the NFL draft or stay in college another year with Whit Weeks.@SEC Football: Any Given Saturday drops August 5. pic.twitter.com/XrffFtXfJQ
— Netflix Sports (@netflixsports) August 4, 2025

Weeks earned First-Team All-SEC honors last season after pacing the Tigers with 125 total tackles (10 for loss), 3.5 sacks, an interception and two forced fumbles as a sophomore. While Nussemeier holds the offensive weight on his shoulders, it's Weeks which will be heavily relied upon defensively.

It's safe to expect that Nussmeier and Weeks will put together big seasons. The question, however, is on the largely new supporting cast. Kelly and Co. signed the nation's top transfer portal class in the 2025 cycle and are faced with the challenge of building cohesiveness ahead of a daunting schedule.

LSU will open the season at defending ACC champion Clemson before playing an SEC schedule that features notable road games against Ole Miss and Alabama, with key home matchups against Florida, South Carolina and Texas A&M.

LSU-Clemson is slated for Aug. 30 at 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC).

This article first appeared on NIL on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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