Not every story has a fairy tale ending.
College football is special, not because of the game on the field, but because of the stories and myths behind the curtain.
The story of [autotag]Myles Brennan[/autotag] and his time at LSU is a complex one. Since he first committed to the program, he’s seen two coaching changes. He was a part of a team that lost Troy and a team that won it all.
He committed when [autotag]Cam Cameron[/autotag] was offensive coordinator and has since seen four more OCs — six if you count [autotag]Joe Brady[/autotag] and [autotag]Scott Linehan[/autotag].
He’s played through a pandemic, suffered injuries and watched [autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag] win a Heisman.
Brennan arrived at LSU with plenty of hype. [autotag]Ed Orgeron[/autotag] took over and promised to change the offense. Brennan was going to be the guy that ended LSU’s quarterback woes.
He saw some action in 2017 as he sat behind [autotag]Danny Etling[/autotag]. The assumption was that Brennan would take over in 2018. That was before Burrow arrived.
To the surprise of many, Brennan didn’t transfer. He stuck around.
A quarterback with his talent level would have had no trouble finding a new home, but he chose to stay. After battling behind Burrow for two years, it was finally going to be Brennan’s moment.
Then the pandemic happened.
LSU was hit hard. This was a program already trying to replace a ton, and COVID-19 disrupted nearly everything. LSU was having to install a new offense when it didn’t even know if there was going to be a season. [autotag]Ja’Marr Chase[/autotag] opted out, and suddenly Brennan lost his top weapon.
Brennan’s first few games in 2020 were good — not great, but good enough. He struggled behind the offensive line, and in the loss to Mississippi State, he looked like a guy that was making his first career start, which he was.
Despite a terrible offensive line, young wide receivers and an offensive staff that was figuring it out on the fly, Brennan still managed to throw for 1,112 yards in just three games.
Then he got hurt. Just as he was settling in, he was finished for the year. A devastating blow.
Alright, so 2021 was going to be his chance, right? This was it. He was healthy, and LSU was ready to rebound back to relevance after 2020.
Just before camp, Brennan broke his arm on a fishing trip. Again, he was done for the season. As the season ended, Brennan entered the transfer portal. It made sense. After all that time at LSU, nothing had gone his way. It was time for a fresh start.
[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] spoke with Brennan and convinced him to return to LSU. [autotag]Max Johnson[/autotag] had transferred, and it looked like there was a clear path for Brennan to start.
In his sixth-year, he’d finally get a real opportunity.
[autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] then transferred to LSU and [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] continued to progress. As fall camp continued, it became evident that the battle was down to Daniels and Nussmeier.
This time, it was it. This was final. After six years, Brennan would not be LSU’s quarterback.
For a guy that only started three games, Brennan’s name will be remembered for a long time. A lot of that may be just because we talked about him for six offseasons.
Outside of 2019 when Burrow was the clear starter, Brennan was a part of five separate position battles.
Brennan was a good quarterback. I think what he did in 2020 was enough to convince us of that.
I wonder what would have happened in 2020 if Chase didn’t opt out, if there were no pandemic and LSU had the entire offseason to prepare. I think with a healthy Brennan and Chase, LSU goes 7-3 that year.
Unfortunately, that’s all hypothetical. And the story of Brennan and LSU is just that — hypothetical.
It’s the end of an era that never really happened.
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