Brian Kelly’s radio show came early this week with Thanksgiving on Thursday. Kelly spoke to media and fans on Monday night where the topic of player retention came up.
A key name to watch as the season nears a close is QB [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier.[/autotag] The redshirt junior can declare for the draft or opt to return for a fifth year. According to Kelly, there’s hope that Nussmeier returns in 2025.
“We’re gonna have retention with players that are really gonna help this football team, and one of them is the quarterback that we’re talking about,” Kelly said.
“I’m hopeful that (Nussmeier’s) gonna make a decision that he comes back. He has not told me that he is but I’m hopeful that he makes that decision. If he does, I think it’s going to put our program in a really good position,” Kelly said.
Nussmeier’s 2024 has been up and down, but the physical tools are there. If he entered the draft, he’d certainly draw attention from NFL teams.
However, if Nussmeier returns, he can play his way into a much better draft slot.
LSU has good luck with QBs returning for a fifth year. Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels both won the Heisman trophy after coming back for year five.
On the show, Kelly specifically mentioned the development of Daniels and thinks we’re seeing a similar maturation process from Nussmeier.
In his first year as a starter, Nussmeier ranks second in the SEC in passing yards and touchdowns, though turnovers are an issue at times.
Nussmeier and LSU are set to finish the regular season against Oklahoma on Saturday night.