Key Takeaways
- Garrett Nussmeier enters 2025 as LSU’s starting QB after a breakout 4,000+ yard season, drawing on lessons from NFL legend Drew Brees.
- He credits both his football lineage and strong faith for shaping his mindset and leadership heading into a championship push.
- Nussmeier believes team chemistry and daily standards will be key as LSU chases its first national title since the Joe Burrow-led 2019 run.
LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier throwing pass (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Garrett Nussmeier is one of the most highly anticipated college quarterbacks entering the 2025 season.
The fifth-year LSU Tigers quarterback is coming off a promising campaign, posting 29 touchdowns, 337 completions, and 4,052 passing yards. Nussmeier ranked in the top 10 in all three categories during his first full season as the Tigers’ starter, after spending his first three years as a backup.
It helps that Nussmeier comes from a football family. His father, Doug Nussmeier, played quarterback in the NFL for several years, including four seasons (1994–1998) with the New Orleans Saints. Doug currently serves as the Saints’ offensive coordinator.
The younger Nussmeier was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Among the quarterbacks he watched growing up, he most admired Drew Brees, who led the Saints for 15 years and helped the franchise win its only championship, Super Bowl XLIV, at the end of the 2009 season.
"When I was younger, I wasn't very big — I was kind of a small, late-developing kid — and so Drew Brees was my guy," Nussmeier said in a one-on-one interview with RG. "I always told people when they asked who my favorite player was: I would say my dad, and then I would say Drew Brees."
Nussmeier said he would "spend hours" watching Brees' tape while growing up. Brees, who stood just six feet tall, was an inspiring figure.
"I would spend hours as a kid watching Drew Brees highlights and watching Drew Brees tape," Nussmeier said.
"He's somebody I looked up to and was fortunate enough to meet and get some good advice from during my freshman year. He was my G.O.A.T. for a long time. He'll always be in my Mount Rushmore, for sure."
Faith, Leadership, and Growth
Another trait Nussmeier and Brees share is their strong faith, something that left a lasting impression on Nussmeier when he met the NFL legend in 2021.
"Drew is also very open about his faith," Nussmeier said. "The best kind of advice he ever gave me — which I still write on my notes all the time — he told me to 'pay Him back.' He basically told me, 'God blessed me with these abilities and these opportunities, and it was my job to work my hardest every day to pay Him back for giving me that, to use my platform to spread His word, to be an example of His faith.' That's something that I cherish, and I'll never forget."
Nussmeier attempted 219 passes with just one start during his first three seasons in Baton Rouge. He says he's far more mature now compared to when he arrived at LSU in 2021 and has learned to handle adversity better.
The Tigers finished last season 9–4. Though they won their bowl game, a three-game midseason losing streak dropped them from No. 8 in the country to unranked.
"There are expectations set for us that we are aware of, but I think that expectation also comes from within," Nussmeier said. "Within the locker room, there's a standard we’re holding ourselves to every single day. That standard is to be able to compete for a national championship. It starts with how we do things every day. We’re trying to operate as a championship program, and I think that will translate."
Leading the Charge
The 23-year-old Nussmeier will look to lead the Tigers to their first national title since 2019, when Joe Burrow was under center. Burrow and Jayden Daniels are two of the best signal-callers in the league, and they're LSU products. Shaquille O'Neal, who played basketball in Baton Rouge, endorsed both of them earlier this year in an interview with RG.
Nussmeier revealed what he thinks is the key to LSU reaching the promised land.
"I think it’s consistency," Nussmeier said of the key to winning another championship. "It’s also just being close. I think this is the closest team I’ve ever been a part of here at LSU. Just spending time around each other — hanging out, eating meals together, or playing video games — it makes a difference."
