LSU Tigers QB Garrett Nussmeier has thoroughly impressed his head coach, Brian Kelly.
Not only does Kelly bet on Nussmeier as the "best QB" in college football this season, but he sees him easily surpassing Arch Manning, the most-hyped QB and a favorite to win the Heisman Trophy in 2025.
Being his head coach, Kelly can have plenty of reasons on top of his head to back his argument, but he pointed out only one: his experience, which was enough to back his whole argument.
That said, Kelly's comparison of Nussmeier's experience with his baseball analogy stood out the most.
"Knowing when a check down, a swing or a drive route instead of waiting for a dig to open. I think it’s just that. It’s never turning down a profit and always knowing that you don’t have to make the home run play. Singles are good. They score runs," Kelly explained on ESPN's College GameDay.
"So I just think experience has shown him that. He’s a coach’s son and we all know that. He’s been around the game and knows the game so well sometimes that it comes easy to him and he feels like he can make every throw.
"I get it, but sometimes the receiver is not in the same place he needs to be. So there are other factors there, but I think he’s really learned those things in a hard way."
Regardless of whether Nussmeier can prove Kelly's confidence, he is already tabbed as one of the best QBs for the 2026 NFL Draft.
If Manning decides not to declare for the year, Nussmeier could as well be the top QB off the board in 2026.
This further heightens the pressure on the QB to prove his head coach's words true. It will not just be about proving him right; it will be about the stats he closes his collegiate run with.
If he does have the season Kelly expects, there's no stopping him from being a serious 2026 Heisman contender against Manning.