LSU's Brian Kelly expresses confidence and excitment in new QB

It's going to be hard for head coach Brian Kelly and LSU to have a repeat of the 2023 season — at least from the quarterback perspective.

Jayden Daniels was the Heisman Trophy winner last season after throwing for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns (with four interceptions) while rushing for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns.

He was phenomenal, but now redshirt sophomore Garrett Nussmeier is in the unenviable position of trying to replace him.

The shoes are big, perhaps too big, but Kelly doesn't seem worried about his new quarterback. In fact, LSU's head coach sounds confident when discussing Nussmeier.

"This is still a young man that is going to get better over time," Kelly told On3. "He’s going to get all the reps that he hasn’t gotten. And we’ve saw glimpses of Garrett Nussmeier with very few reps. I think all of us, collectively, really like what we saw. So, what I think what’s exciting for me is — a guy that’s really going to get a lot of the reps and is going to get better and better.”

To Kelly's point, Nussmeier has been with the LSU program since 2021, but he's only appeared in 18 games over three seasons. He does have one start under his belt, and that start should give LSU fans reason to be excited.

Nussmeier started in place of Daniels in the 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl and threw for 395 yards and three touchdowns with one interception in LSU's 35-31 win over Wisconsin. He was named the game's MVP for that performance.

“We got a glimpse of it against Wisconsin,” Kelly said. “As the game unfolded, he got more comfortable, and he leads us on a 90+ yard drive at the end of the game. I think there is more to come and that’s the exciting part.”