Tag: Garrett Nussmeier

Jayden Daniels named SEC Transfer of the Week by On3

Daniels shined in LSU’s win over Mississippi State.

[autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] transferred to LSU from Arizona State after playing in 29 games over a three-year span throwing for 1,288 yards and 13 touchdowns. He came into LSU with a lot of expectations of being the next great transfer quarterback.

Sure, he’s no [autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag], but he gave Tiger fans hope. He wouldn’t win the starting job easily, as he had to compete against [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] through all of spring and fall camp to earn the starting job. He received a lot of criticism after the Tigers lost to the Florida State Seminoles to start off the 2022 season after he went 25-for-34 for 209 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 114 yards.

But after his outing against Mississippi State, he was named the SEC’s Transfer of the Week by On3.

Daniels came alive in the fourth quarter as host LSU rallied to beat Mississippi State. He guided three TD drives as the Tigers battled back from a 16-10 deficit entering the period to win 31-16. Daniels, who transferred from Arizona State in the offseason, threw for 210 yards and a touchdown, and also led LSU in rushing with 93 yards and another score. He scored on a 3-yard run early in the fourth quarter to give LSU its first lead at 17-16. He guided TD drives on the Tigers’ next two possessions as they pulled away to give Brian Kelly his first SEC win.

In the past two games, Daniels went 32-for-48 (66% completion percentage) with four touchdowns and zero interceptions. He showed great poise in the pocket as he led the Tigers offense in the second half against Mississippi State to improve LSU’s record to 2-1 for the season.

[mm-video type=video id=01gd91b2qgqxyxgjsvjy playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gd91b2qgqxyxgjsvjy/01gd91b2qgqxyxgjsvjy-fcafc1b3486e9b66df7e31379e60807c.jpg]

[listicle id=58140]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Stock Up, Stock Down: Where things are trending after win vs. Southern

Jayden Daniels cements his role as QB1, among other trends.

That’s one way to bounce back after a rough loss in Week 1.

LSU had a huge night against the Southern Jaguars in the first home game of the season and came away with a 65-17 win. In this edition of ‘Stock Up, Stock Down,’  [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] further cemented his standing as the No. 1 quarterback, the young guys got a lot of playing time, the running game got off to a great start, Harold Perkins showed his promise, and the Tigers showed a few things they need to clean up before SEC play.

Next week, the Tigers will start conference competition against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Death Valley.

Instant Analysis: LSU dominates Southern for first win of 2022 season

The Tigers showed out in Brian Kelly’s home debut.

Well, that’s more like it!

After a disappointing Week 1 loss against Florida State, the Tigers got their first victory in 2022 in Brian Kelly’s home debut. LSU dominated Southern in the first-ever matchup between the two Baton Rouge programs, earning a commanding 65-17 victory ahead of the beginning of SEC play next weekend.

The Jaguars fumbled the opening kickoff, giving LSU the ball just outside the red zone. The Tigers punched it in on a run from [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], and that set the tone for the rest of the game. LSU scored touchdowns on each of its first five possessions and netted a safety, all in the first quarter. The 37 resulting points were a program record for the most scored in a single quarter.

For Daniels’ part, it’s hard to find a single flaw with his outing. He completed 10 of his 11 passes for 137 yards and three touchdowns in addition to the score on the ground. LSU rectified Kayshon Boutte’s lack of touches in Week 1, as he caught five balls for 42 yards in addition to a 41-yard run. [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] had a nice bounce-back after muffing two punts in Week 1, taking three catches for 81 yards and a score.

[autotag]Armoni Goodwin[/autotag] (12 carries, 85 yards, two touchdowns) and Noah Cain (10 carries, 51 yards, one touchdown) both found success on the ground, as well.

We even got to see backup quarterback [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag], who entered the game early, but it wasn’t the best outing. He went just 13 of 23 for 183 yards and two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

Though we have to take the defensive performance with a grain of salt given the opponent, it was a significant improvement. Southern totaled just 262 yards of offense, and true freshman linebacker [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag] made a big impact off the bench, leading the team in tackles with seven.

LSU forced three fumbles, and linebacker [autotag]Micah Baskerville[/autotag] had an interception returned for a touchdown.

It’s far from the toughest game on the Tigers’ schedule this fall, but they were able to improve in a lot of the areas that cost them against FSU, and they will look to push their winning streak to two when SEC play opens against Mississippi State next Saturday.

[mm-video type=video id=01gaw89ez85ttrbvk1kw playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gaw89ez85ttrbvk1kw/01gaw89ez85ttrbvk1kw-500d368cb1d4f4c58fc45e3836d0e58b.jpg]

[listicle id=57651]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

WATCH: Tigers QB commit Rickie Collins shows off his athleticism

The Tigers’ potential quarterback of the future can create plays with his mobility.

[autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag] is a four-star, 6-foot-2 quarterback from Woodlawn High School in Baton Rouge. He is the Tigers’ only quarterback commit of the 2023 class, and he could be the next great signal-caller for LSU.

In this play, he shows off his athleticism as he evades a would-be sack to deliver a dart on the run to his receiver down the sideline for a big gain. Woodlawn would still fall to Lafayette Christian Academy 33-12.

Next season, LSU will probably have a huge competition at the quarterback position as [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] will have on more year eligibility, and he’ll be joined in the quarterback room by [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag], Walker Howard, and Collins.

So, we could be looking at the quarterback of the future for LSU, but only time will tell.

[mm-video type=video id=01gcd3052jcdpxk54am4 playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gcd3052jcdpxk54am4/01gcd3052jcdpxk54am4-8ab553d453e12e493be4b2fc81e786dd.jpg]

[listicle id=57186]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

LSU sticking with Jayden Daniels after up-and-down debut

Brian Kelly said a quarterback change was never considered on Sunday night.

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels is probably catching too much flack following his debut in the purple and gold.

The Arizona State transfer made a lot of plays with his legs in Sunday night’s loss to Florida State, and he found his footing a bit in the passing game during the second-half comeback. Poor offensive line play didn’t help him get into a rhythm as he was sacked four times.

The passing attack felt limited at times, but fans hoping to see [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] will likely be disappointed. Based on Kelly’s comments at his press conference on Tuesday, it’s clear the coaches plan to stick with Daniels.

“It was never a conversation,” Kelly said on making a quarterback change. “There was never a time during the game where Mike and I — Mike Denbrock, that is, or Joe Sloan — had a conversation about, ‘Hey, let’s make a change here. Let’s see if that’s the best option for us.’ That was never a conversation. And right now, it’s — Jayden’s our No. 1 quarterback.”

It makes sense that the Tigers don’t want to consider a change already. Daniels was brought in by Kelly to start, and a change would be premature. Still, his leash moving forward may not be quite as long as we thought it might be.

[mm-video type=video id=01gc9zdzq9bdj2r64k3a playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gc9zdzq9bdj2r64k3a/01gc9zdzq9bdj2r64k3a-14c860bcd525135c102502015d5e06a3.jpg]

[listicle id=57466]

[pickup_prop id=”21372″]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

LSU will reportedly start Jayden Daniels at quarterback in opener vs. Florida State

Kelly is going with the Arizona State transfer on Sunday night, per On3’s Matt Zenitz.

Tigers coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] has chosen to stay quiet this week regarding a starting quarterback, but it seems that the situation was resolved in the way many expected.

According to On3’s Matt Zenitz, LSU is set to start Arizona State transfer [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] in Sunday night’s season-opener against the Florida State Seminoles. Daniels started for the Sun Devils the last three seasons, completing 62.4% of his passes for 6,024 yards, 32 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

He was competing with redshirt freshman [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag], but he has been expected to win the job since the other veteran in the quarterback room, [autotag]Myles Brennan[/autotag], announced his retirement from football.

Daniels was Kelly’s handpicked option in the transfer portal, and now Tigers fans will get the chance to see what he can do against a Power Five program in the first game under the new regime.

[mm-video type=video id=01gaw89ez85ttrbvk1kw playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gaw89ez85ttrbvk1kw/01gaw89ez85ttrbvk1kw-500d368cb1d4f4c58fc45e3836d0e58b.jpg]

[listicle id=57258]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Brian Kelly says he knew who the starting quarterback was last week, keeping it secret ahead of opener

Kelly is keeping things quiet regarding the winner of the quarterback battle.

There is something to be said about the element of surprise. It’s a very smart tactic when you are going into war against an opponent that is not very familiar with you.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] is going to use that against the Florida State Seminoles in the first game of the season on Sunday. Out of all the questions Kelly has fielded about the roster, the one he has faced more than any other is, “Coach, who is the starting quarterback?”

The answer to that question is [redacted]. The only info we know is that the battle came down to two guys, [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] and [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag].

“This is a 1A and 1B,” Kelly said of the competition. “This is not a 1 and a 2.”

So, if you’re Mike Norvell, how do you gameplan for two different quarterbacks that have separate skill sets? That’s the four-million-dollar question.

Kelly named the offensive line starters but did not mention the Game 1 starter at quarterback, not because he wasn’t sure who it was — he confirmed that the coaches have made a decision — but to keep the Seminoles on their toes.

[mm-video type=video id=01gaw89ez85ttrbvk1kw playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gaw89ez85ttrbvk1kw/01gaw89ez85ttrbvk1kw-500d368cb1d4f4c58fc45e3836d0e58b.jpg]

[listicle id=57122]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

LSU names true freshman Will Campbell the starter at left tackle

Brian Kelly confirmed what many expected, and Campbell will be tasked with protecting the starting quarterback’s blind side.

It doesn’t exactly come as a surprise, but LSU coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] named true freshman [autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag] the starter at left tackle during his radio show on Thursday night.

Campbell arrived during the spring as an early enrollee, and the four-star recruit from Monroe immediately began to turn heads. He saw first-team reps throughout much of the spring, including in the spring game, and that continued into the fall.

The No. 36 recruit in the 2022 recruiting class, Campbell is one of the best offensive line prospects the Tigers have landed recently. He’ll have his work cut out for him, as he’ll immediately be tasked with protecting the blind side of whoever wins the starting quarterback battle between [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] and [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag].

With Kelly confirming what had been widely assumed, we’ll still have to wait to see who starts at the other tackle spot. [autotag]Anthony Bradford[/autotag] has seen many of the first-team reps recently, but [autotag]Cameron Wire[/autotag], a senior who started four games last fall, is also a factor.

LSU saw four of its five starters on the offensive line from last season depart, and it’s one of the biggest areas of concern on the roster. But if Campbell can be as good as he has the potential to be, it will make briding that gap significantly easier.

[mm-video type=video id=01gaw89ez85ttrbvk1kw playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gaw89ez85ttrbvk1kw/01gaw89ez85ttrbvk1kw-500d368cb1d4f4c58fc45e3836d0e58b.jpg]

[listicle id=56893]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

Final thoughts as the quarterback battle nears a conclusion

LSU is close to naming a starter. Here are some takeaways from the quarterback competition as it winds to a close.

LSU will be announcing a QB1 any day now. According to [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag], that decision could come before the end of the weekend with an announcement likely coming early next week.

Kelly spoke like there would be a public announcement and the fact that he’s been teasing it would back that up, so one would assume that it will be public knowledge soon after the news is broken to the team.

At this point, it’s anyone’s guess. When [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] was out with an ankle, [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] was the favorite. Daniels has also been the one going out first during the portion of practice the media has been able to see.

But the way Kelly has maintained that this is a 50/50 battle leads me to believe that it really is. If Daniels had held a lead for a few weeks, I think he would have been announced as the starter already. It would be beneficial to the offense to have a guy named so they could begin prepping the offense for him.

Conventional wisdom could also suggest that the staff values Daniels’ experience. This is a young LSU team, and having a veteran under center could be of use.

On the other hand, Nussmeier is younger, and if he’s legit, the staff could see him as the future of this program. If this is a rebuilding year, why not just get him those reps if it’s close?

There’s a reason that LSU brought Daniels in, though. This is a guy with talent who can be a legit contributor. LSU hasn’t had a quarterback who was a competent passer with wheels of Daniels’ caliber in a long time.

Daniels could add a legit playmaking dimension to this offense that has been missing since [autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag] left. For all we know, Nussmeier’s arm could be live enough to where he adds that, too.

I don’t think either one of these guys is going to put together an All-SEC campaign. If one of them was that good, he would have won the job by now, but I think we will see some good quarterback play.

[mm-video type=video id=01gaw89ez85ttrbvk1kw playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gaw89ez85ttrbvk1kw/01gaw89ez85ttrbvk1kw-500d368cb1d4f4c58fc45e3836d0e58b.jpg]

[listicle id=56303]

[pickup_prop id=”21372″]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

LSU is close to naming a starting quarterback, per Brian Kelly

Kelly said he expects to name a starter by the beginning of next week.

After an offseason in which it seemed like the three-man race for LSU’s starting quarterback job was anyone’s to win, we finally have some clarity regarding that situation.

[autotag]Myles Brennan[/autotag] opted to retire from football, leaving [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] to compete against [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag]. Daniels is considered the favorite and has seen the bulk of first-team reps recently.

That could become official in just a few days, as coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said at his press conference on Tuesday that the team hopes to name a starting quarterback by early next week.

“I think we’re pretty much closing in on making a decision,” Kelly said. “The two of them are outstanding quarterbacks. If you were voting as a group in here, it might be split in this room. It’s pretty close. I think you can probably understand why, for us, we’re not jumping out there giving you a quarterback because they’re both fine quarterbacks and it’s that close. But we’re going to have to make a decision here in the next few days.”

Kelly elaborated on that timeline a bit.

“As long as we’ve got our decision made by the end of the weekend,” he said, “and we make some kind of announcement, whether it’s Monday or Tuesday of next week, we feel like we’ll be in a pretty good position.”

While it’s possible the competition could continue into the season, it’s clear the coaching staff wants to at least announce an initial starter heading into the season-opener against Florida State on Sept. 4. That quarterback will likely be Daniels, though Kelly still describes the competition as close.

The Tigers’ quarterback battle has been one of the most interesting to watch in the entire country this offseason, but it’s clearly winding down as kickoff is now just a week and a half away.

[mm-video type=video id=01gaw89ez85ttrbvk1kw playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gaw89ez85ttrbvk1kw/01gaw89ez85ttrbvk1kw-500d368cb1d4f4c58fc45e3836d0e58b.jpg]

[listicle id=56303]

[pickup_prop id=”21372″]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno