LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly was onto something when he tabbed Garrett Nussmeier the “best QB” in college football despite the whole Arch Manning hype train.
Thomas Jones of the Austin American-Statesman ranked not just Nussmeier, but the whole of the Tigers’ QB room as the best entering the 2025 season.
“Arguably the best pocket passer in all of college football, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Nussmeier boasts plenty of production, experience and one of the quickest releases in the game,” Jones wrote of the Tigers’ QB room.
And it’s not just Nussmeier Jones is betting on, it’s also backup QB Michal Van Buren Jr.
“Michael Van Buren Jr., who started eight games for Mississippi State as a true freshman in 2024, arrives on the bayou as a proven backup,” Jones wrote.
The hardly comes as a surprise since Kelly’s program is ranked the ultimate dark horse of the season.
A major contributor to those expectations is Nussmeier.
The Texas Longhorns’ QB room, on the other hand, was ranked the third best in the SEC despite having Manning.
“Can expectations be any higher for Arch Manning, a 6-4, 225-pound redshirt sophomore who’s taking over for the departed Texas starter Quinn Ewers?” Jones wrote about the Manning buzz in Austin.
If Nussmeier emerges as the better QB this season, his draft stock would break the ceiling, given that he’s already a projected top-three QB.
Only time will tell how well Nussmeier fares.