In the LSU Tigers first season under Brian Kelly, they went 10-4. This record marks the first time since 2019’s College Football Championship that the Tigers had a winning record and made the SEC Championship. Funny enough, the SEC Championship is the whole reason why we are even writing an article about the LSU QBs. We know we are probably in the minority here, but we don’t think Jayden Daniels should feel comfortable as the Tigers’ starter right now.

Here are LSU’s Candidates:

• Senior Jayden Daniels- C/O 2019 4 Star
• Redshirt Sophomore Garrett Nussmeier- C/O 2021 4 Star

Flashback to December 3, 2022… The SEC Championship Game. QB Jayden Daniels is coming into the game with a hurt ankle from November 26 against Texas A&M. No one knew how his ankle was going to hold up in this game against Georgia’s dominating front. Daniels plays pretty much the whole first half despite re-injuring his ankle, but only puts up 10 points.

Enter Garrett Nussmeier… who played the rest of the game. In his first drive in the second half, he threw a 20 yard pass and a 34 yard pass for a TD. The very next drive he opens up with a 59 yard bomb. In the 4th Quarter he had passes of 20, 27(TD), 30, and 33 yards. Not that he ever got the Tigers within range of winning that game, but he caused a lot of chaos in the second half making many CFB fans wonder how that game would’ve gone if Nussmeier started the entirety of the game.

Not to mention, that game gave Ohio State a ton of confidence heading into the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl against the Dawgs. Watching Garrett Nussmeier torch the Dawgs secondary in the second half probably made them feel good about their chances, which proved to be right because Stroud shredded the Georgia secondary and the Buckeyes were a FG away from taking down the reigning champs.

Our Prediction 

We understand that Daniels ability to run brings an extra element to LSU offense, but just because he can run doesn’t necessarily mean he is the better QB. There was a big time and very noticeable connection between Nussmeier and WR Malik Nabers in the second half of the SEC Championship Game. There was a ton of speculation that Nusssmeier would enter the portal early in 2023, yet he’s still in Baton Rouge. He could very easily start for another team this year. The fact that he stayed shows us he believes he can dethrone Daniels. We suspect Daniels will be the Week 1 starter for the Tigers, but we also believe this could be Nussmeier’s job by the time the SEC Championship Game rolls around.