Brian Kelly explains improvement he wants to see from LSU football QB Garrett Nussmeier

USA Today

16 hours ago

LSU football quarterback elected to return for another year of college football in hopes of leading LSU to a national title. Nussmeier and crew took another step towards that goal this week, returning to the practice field as training camp got underway.
LSU head coach Brian Kelly met with the media after practice one and detailed what improvements he expects to see from LSU's veteran gunslinger in 2025.
"His worst play needs to be zero," Kelly said, "What we can't live with is catastrophic mistakes. And I think you have to live through that to know what your limits are, right? I think he knows what those limits are in terms of managing a bad play and making it zero. I think that's experience."
Nussmeier threw 29 touchdowns in 2024, but there were rough stretches headlined by turnovers. Nussmeier combined to throw five picks vs. Texas A&M and Alabama. The next week at Florida, he fumbled twice. He finished the year with 12 picks and five fumbles.
Along with Nussmeier's improvements through the air, LSU looks for added impact on the ground. Nussmeier ran for just 93 yards in 2024, even when adjusting for sack yardage.
Kelly said Nussmeier reached a top speed of 21.4 miles per hour this offseason. He doesn't have blazing speed, but that's enough to do damage.
"I think he clearly understands that when the opportunity arises, that he can take off and be an effective runner," Kelly said.
Nussmeier is looking to write the next chapter in LSU's recent history of elite quarterback play. Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels both won the Heisman trophy in 2019 and 2023, respectively, after returning for a fifth year.
"I think that's the growth. And then just the technical things, right? I mean, on time throws, never turn down a profit, you know, meaning if there's a check down, you know, check it down. It doesn't have to always be down the field. So I think that's experience. I think some of it's technical. And I think he's in a great position to do that," Kelly said.