There’s no smoke without fire. Sometimes, an ancillary piece going in its place is enough to know where the bigger piece of the puzzle is supposed to fall. In the case of the LSU Tigers’ quarterback room, that seems to be the case. A chain of events has ensued, that can be referenced to project the future of Garrett Nussmeier.

Former 4-star recruit and Louisiana native Rickie Collins is entering the transfer portal. For the unversed, the redshirt freshman was the backup QB behind Nussmeier. This news comes in the wake of LSU not having any quarterbacks walking into the program from the 2025 class, at least so far. The Bryce Underwood debacle is public news. Amidst this, a cloud looms over Tiger Stadium regarding their future signal caller. However, this revelation from Collins is a good sign in terms of holding onto Nuss.

LSU insider Matt Moscona spoke about the Rickie Collins news on the “After Further Review: LSU” YouTube channel. Here, he dissected an article he wrote earlier in the week. An excerpt from the article read “If Nussmeier returns for 2025, someone will leave”. Well, that seems to be happening with Collins’ impending exit. Moscona did clarify an important aspect in the sequence of events that are unfolding.

“I’m not saying ‘I told you so’ or anything like that. I wasn’t writing that with any awareness of what Rickie Collins [would do]”. The LSU faithful would’ve hoped to see Collins fulfill his potential at his in-state school. With that said, it doesn’t take much to add 2 and 2 together and deduce that Collins’ decision means he did not expect to be a part of Brian Kelly’s offense next year. With no other starting-caliber QBs on the roster or incoming, Garrett Nussmeier’s chances of staying have soared.

Nuss himself has been dropping subliminal hints in the lead-up to this. He played lights out in LSU’s last regular season game against Oklahoma. Post-game, Nuss discussed him persevering through a shoulder injury he picked up in the first half. Furthermore, he said he wanted to do so for the seniors who were playing their last game at Tiger Stadium. No part of his demeanor suggested Nussmeier would be a part of this contingent leaving Baton Rouge. With so much discourse surrounding his future, here’s what Nuss said about his decision-

Garrett Nussmeier breaks silence regarding his future endeavors

Garrett Nussmeier has garnered some reasonable draft stock from the NFL. His style and development cater toward playing in the pros from the onset. As the son of former NFL QB turned QB coach Doug Nussmeier, his entering the big leagues is not a surprise. However, Nuss still has a year of college eligibility left. 

With LSU’s season now over pending a Bowl game, the focus has swiftly moved to Garrett Nussmeier’s disposition in Baton Rouge. “Have you decided on whether you’re coming back next year?” he was asked in his presser after Oklahoma. Nuss was mostly tight-lipped around the verdict. “I have not decided about that. I’ve not had any discussions or any conversations. I wanted to leave that out till after the season.”

He further added, “Didn’t want to go over that and I can’t tell you where I’m at right now or what I think. I know that I love being here at LSU, I love this team. Love this school, this organization. This family [and] the fan base. I’ll get into those conversations probably early this week and try [to] figure everything out from there”, he said.

Garrett Nussmeier’s stance is not yet public, but the signs are positive. Moreover, he will appear in the next Bowl game which will help to gain more clarity on the matter. With his recent upturn in performances, the LSU fans and Brian Kelly would hope Nussmeier remains QB1 in 2025.