The landscape of collegiate athletics has become a completely different animal since the introduction of the NCAA transfer portal in 2018.
A huge chunk of both individual and team accolades in recent years have been highlighted by standout performances from a transfer athlete, particularly in the world of college football.
LSU has certainly seen its fair share of transfer portal successes, headlined by Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels.
Burrow, an Ohio State transfer, cemented his legacy in Baton Rouge in 2019 by bringing home the school’s first Heisman Trophy in 60 years, along with the Tigers’ first national title since 2007.
In the wake of Burrow’s brilliance, Daniels didn’t skip a beat, becoming the only player in FBS history to pass for more than 12,000 yards and rush for 3,000-plus yards in his career. The Arizona State transfer won a slew of awards last year—including the Heisman—and helped LSU return to its winning ways with back-to-back 10-win seasons.
That sets the stage for the next man in line.
Except this time, the Tigers are looking local for their new star signal-caller in junior Garrett Nussmeier.
The Lake Charles native has been waiting in the wings since enrolling at LSU in 2021. And he feels that this fall will finally be his time to shine.
“(LSU) is the place I was supposed to be,” Nussmeier shared this summer at the Manning Passing Academy in Thibodaux. “I’ve been excited for this (opportunity) since I got to school. Staying at LSU and being where I felt like I needed to be—God had me here for a reason. A lot of times in life, you want things right then and (there). Of course, I wanted that, but it was a huge thing for me to grow and learn from it.”
Nussmeier has gotten glimpses of the limelight the past three seasons, but he’s had to learn to practice patience along the way.
It hasn’t necessarily been easy for him, but through his faith, his family and his love of football, he feels more ready than ever to take over the Tigers.
“I’m so excited,” Nussmeier said. “This offseason it’s just different. It feels different around the building. We have even more of a mindset that it’s time for us to handle what we need to handle.”
The sport will undergo another momentous change this fall.
For the first time, the College Football Playoff expands from four teams to 12.
With more room in the playoff conversation—and rival Alabama in the midst of a rebuilding year—the 12th ranked Tigers know they have a shot at the playoffs.
Nussmeier, for one, is aware the bar is set high and is optimistic this group can meet expectations.
“Ten wins isn’t good enough anymore,” Nussmeier said. “We continue to get better and mesh and grow into fall camp. It’s gonna be really fun.”
MADE FOR THE MOMENT
The Nussmeier name isn’t an unfamiliar one in these parts.
His dad, Doug, was a fourth-round draft pick of the New Orleans Saints in 1994, where he spent the first four years of his NFL career.
He has also been a longstanding and well-respected coach since hanging up his cleats in 2000. He’s made prominent stops at Alabama, Florida and four different NFL teams. Today, he’s the Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterbacks coach.
So it’s no surprise Garrett shot up the high school recruiting charts and earned his first scholarship offer as a sophomore in 2018 from his eventual home in Baton Rouge.
He quickly became one of the hottest names in recruiting circles, finishing as a four-star prospect and a consensus top 20 quarterback in the country after leading Marcus High School in Flower Mound, Texas, to a 9-0 season as a senior.
As a true freshman at LSU, Nussmeier played mostly in mop-up duty, appearing in four games, which still allowed him to earn a redshirt season in 2021.
“I got a touch of (the action) my freshman year, and then it was taken away,” he said. “I’ve just been itching to get it back ever since. It was tough. But I think my relationship with God was a difference maker—just trusting his plan because his timing is always right.”
“Ten wins isn’t good enough anymore. … We continue to get better and mesh and grow.”
—LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier on the season ahead
Developing that strong faith foundation has been a pivotal piece of Nussmeier’s journey.
Like most talented young quarterbacks—especially in the world of NIL deals and free transfers—waiting for a turn can be difficult.
What if the opportunity never comes? What if another player transfers in to take your spot?
They’re fair questions to ask, but ones that Nussmeier tried to set aside while he placed his trust in his spirituality to lead him where he needed to be.
“With what I went through the last couple years … my relationship with God kind of grew a lot,” Nussmeier said. “I feel like I always had a strong relationship with God and strong faith … but I had to learn to trust him and his plan and to understand that his timing is always right. I just keep my head down, work and trust in his timing and his plan.”
Nussmeier’s game time steadily increased each of the next two seasons.
As a redshirt freshman, he appeared in seven games, throwing for 800 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions playing behind Daniels.
Nussmeier also played in seven games last season but added a first career start to his budding resume.
Daniels and a handful of other contributors had opted out of the ReliaQuest Bowl to either preserve their draft stock or to enter the transfer portal and move to another school.
So Nussmeier and the majority of the 2024 offensive starters carried the load—giving Tiger fans a sneak peak into what may be in store this fall.
NEW FACES, SAME FLAIR
LSU was trailing Wisconsin 31-28 with just over six minutes to go in the game.
The Tigers took over at their own 2-yard line. They’d need to travel 98 yards to snatch a touchdown.
That’s when Nussmeier helped orchestrate an eight-play, 98-yard drive highlighted by a 37-yard dart to Kyren Lacy and a 43-yard bomb to Chris Hilton Jr.
It was capped by a 4-yard strike to Brian Thomas Jr.—and an LSU victory.
“(Nussmeier) took over more of a leadership role,” Chris Hilton Jr. tells 225, emphasizing the rapport he began to build with his quarterback. “He’s gathering guys up as a team and talking to us as a whole.”
LSU—and Nussmeier in particular—have some big shoes to fill. Last year, Daniels and his Tiger attack led the entire nation in total offense, scoring offense and passing efficiency, setting multiple records along the way.
No one is expecting Nussmeier to repeat that kind of production, but the young gunslinger gave plenty of reason for excitement in his lone start under center.
That day, Nussmeier not only completed 31 of his 45 throws for 395 yards and three touchdowns, but he stepped up in the biggest moments when his team needed him the most.
And in post-game interviews, Nussmeier shared how it felt to be congratulated by Daniels this time.
“I appreciate our relationship a lot,” Nussmeier said. “It was like roles reversed. I’m used to giving him a high five after he just made a Heisman statement, or something like that. So it was cool. I appreciate him a lot. I’m grateful for the time we had together.”
“I appreciate him a lot. I’m grateful for the time we had together.”
—Garrett Nussmeier, on his relationship with former teammate and Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels
Now, with Nussmeier leading the offense, the whole unit is nicknamed the “Nuss Bus.” And this fall, the quarterback will look to Hilton and the offense’s many other weapons to help get the Tigers rolling again.
Hilton, a former Zachary High star, finished the bowl game with three catches for 56 yards and a touchdown to go along with Lacy’s six catches for 95 yards.
“Coming into the bowl game, I knew that I had to prove myself,” Hilton says. “And when those opportunities came, I made them. I’m just glad God was able to put me in that position.”
”Garrett Nussmeier was the guy that just jumped out. … His arm talent is real.”
—CBS Sports College Football Analyst Taylor McHargue, in a recap of the Manning Passing Academy
Tailbacks Josh Williams and Kaleb Jackson combined for 14 carries, 66 yards and a touchdown, running behind an offensive line anchored by tackles Will Campbell and Emery Jones Jr.
All of those names (and many more) are returning this fall to assist Nussmeier, who has continued to impress this offseason.
“Garrett Nussmeier was the guy that just jumped out,” CBS Sports College Football Analyst Taylor McHargue said in a recap of the Manning Passing Academy. “(He made) all of the throws. He was a guy you knew obviously had a lot of arm talent and strength, but there was one right out of the gate where he threw that field comeback. Anyone that’s played the position knows that’s one of the hardest throws in college football. He rips it to that sideline and from there, every one of his throws certainly looked to me like somebody (LSU fans) should be excited about because his arm talent is real.”
Needless to say, LSU is lucky Nussmeier stuck around.
In the wild, wild west of college football, he could have easily jumped ship at the handful of offers he would have inevitably gotten had he entered the transfer portal.
Collegiate athletics is certainly a different animal. But in 2024, it just might be a Tiger.
This article was originally published in the August 2024 issue of 225 Magazine.