Fall camp injuries are like bad weather in college football. It’s expected, but it’s still capable of ruining your day. But when the whispers start about your QB1, especially when it’s LSU’s messiah Garrett Nussmeier, the sky can turn black in a hurry. That’s exactly what happened in Baton Rouge this week when word leaked out that the guy expected to save Brian Kelly’s job went down in a closed practice. There was no film or confirmation then. It was just speculation running like wildfire through Tiger Nation. And in the SEC, a rumor doesn’t need legs to sprint. 

Practice No. 7 of LSU’s fall camp on Wednesday was sealed off to the media. A standard fare until the whispers started. Word was that Garrett Nussmeier had suffered a “major injury.” ACL, they said. Season over, they feared. As Jacques Doucet reported on X on August 7, Brian Kelly and his team even closed Friday’s practice to reporters, a move that feels less like coincidence and more like containment. However, it’s also reported that “the entire #LSU practice Saturday will be open to the media and we may shoot video of the first 15 minutes. Joe Sloan will likewise meet with the media Friday.” Damage control mode? Because silence feeds rumors more than it kills them. 

LSU entered 2025 with national title ambitions and College Football Playoff expectations. It’s the kind of pressure where every rep, every throw, and every limp, gets magnified. Brian Kelly had loaded his roster through the transfer portal, but everyone knew the real reason for the hype. A gunslinger who turned down the NFL Draft for one more run at glory. Garrett Nussmeier was the belief system, a proven QB who’s as hungry for a National Championship victory as any Tiger fan.

For Garrett Nussmeier, this was just another bizarre chapter in a career that’s been all patience and persistence. A former 4-star signee in 2021, he spent years in the shadow of Max Johnson and Jayden Daniels before finally taking over last season. “I didn’t want to watch anybody else be the guy that leads LSU to a national championship,” he told SEC Network. “LSU means the world to me. Louisiana means the world to me.” That decision, equal parts faith, loyalty, and stubbornness, is exactly why Tiger fans were on edge. Even OC Joe Sloan notices the difference which he revealed during spring camp saying, “He’s looking at specifically some stuff that he needs to improve on.” The idea of losing him before Week 1 was a nightmare. Then came the relief.

What really happened to Garrett Nussmeier?

The Advocate’s Wilson Alexander stepped in to cool the hysteria. Garrett Nussmeier hadn’t suffered a major injury. “Folks, Garrett Nussmeier did not suffer a major injury today. Multiple sources said he’s ok. I think you can breathe,” he wrote on social media. CBS Sports’ Chris Hummer added details “Nussmeier’s knee clipped a defensive lineman’s knee brace during a drill, causing some discomfort.” Brian Kelly and co. reportedly sat him out the final periods as a precaution. 

Death Valley Voice and SI Fan Nation begged fans to stop trusting “troll accounts” peddling doomsday scenarios. But rumors die slowly in college football. If proof was needed, Garrett Nussmeier provided it himself. During a subsequent practice, Jacques Doucet saw QB1 unleash a laser to Trey’Dez Green. “You could hear the loud thud as Green made the reception, reflecting how hard Nussmeier threw the football,” he wrote on X. That wasn’t the sound of a torn ACL. That was the sound of a healthy quarterback letting everyone know he was still the man.

Losing Garrett Nussmeier would have been devastating. This is the same quarterback who threw for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns last season, and he’s now working with a deeper, nastier receiving corps. He passed up millions to try and etch his name into LSU lore. And if Wednesday proved anything, it’s that you can slow him down for a moment but you can’t take the football out of his hands.

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