Garrett Nussmeier’s story at Louisiana State is not really about waiting his turn. It is about one promise he made to Brian Kelly when he believed he could beat anyone for the job. Years later, Nussmeier is still honest enough to admit that part did not happen.

“I wanted to play at LSU,” Garrett Nussmeier said in an interview with Jon Gruden. “I didn’t I didn’t want to just go somewhere else and try again, you know, I believed in myself You know, I sat in coach Kelly’s office and told him you can bring anybody in here I’m gonna win the damn job and so obviously, you know, I didn’t but I had that belief in myself that believes that I wanted To be at LSU and you know, my faith was a big part of me staying as well.”

That line matters because it shows how strong Nussmeier believed in himself at the time. He was not talking like a player looking for an exit. He was talking like someone who wanted LSU badly enough to bet on himself at Kelly’s office.

The former LSU quarterback is not from Louisiana and did not play high school football there. He came to LSU in 2021 from Flower Mound, Texas, while his father was coaching in the NFL. Even though Garrett Nussmeier was new to the state, he quickly felt connected to the team and the fans.

In 2022, when Jayden Daniels joined LSU, many people thought Nussmeier might leave the team for more playing time. But rather, he challenged former coach Brian Kelly about fighting him for the QB1 position. But he eventually failed. Let’s be real, fighting against a player like Daniels, who came in holding three years of experience at Arizona State with 6,024 career yards and 32 TDs and just 13 interceptions, is not that straightforward.

There were a lot of questions about his future, but he stayed. His love for LSU and belief in the program did not let him leave. What separated him from the rest was his dedication. Despite being Doug Nussmeier’s son, he never let ego take over his game.

What keeps his comments from sounding hollow is what happened after. Nussmeier stayed, waited, became LSU’s starter in 2024, threw for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns, and then returned for 2025 instead of leaving for the draft. He wanted to help LSU reach the playoffs and do something special with the team. However, things did not go as planned. LSU still did not make it to the playoffs.

That is the real weight of his confession. He did not just admit that he had lost the job. He admitted he made Brian Kelly a bold promise, could not deliver on it straight away, and still stayed long enough to show his belief in LSU was real.

Despite that, LSU always remained his top choice. He always prioritized his team over anything. One such example was last year when he aggravated an abdominal injury while playing against Texas A&M. He was clearly in pain and could barely stand, but after halftime, he returned to the field and started playing. Even his health concerns couldn’t stop him from supporting his team.

Having this kind of loyalty is a blessing for any coach. In today’s modern era of NIL and the transfer portal, where players like Carson Beck or Bryce Underwood make money moves, Garrett Nussmeier chose not to be tempted by money. He had to play under different OCs, and because of his increasing concerns, his draft stock even dropped, but even with all of that, Nussmeier never badmouthed his program. Now, he is all set to take that loyalty to the NFL as he gets his final draft verdict.

Garrett Nussmeier final draft verdict

LSU is expected to have several players picked in the 2026 NFL Draft, including Mansoor Delane, Garrett Nussmeier, and A.J. Haulcy. However, Nussmeier is one of the biggest question marks. He suffered a core injury last season, which affected his game and made him miss the last three games.

As the NFL Draft gets closer, there is a fresh update about Garrett Nussmeier’s health that helps teams understand his situation better. NFL insider Tom Pelissero shared that doctors found the real reason behind his injury issues during tests.

“Garrett Nussmeier underwent tests at the NFL combine that revealed a cyst on his spine, the root cause of the persistent oblique pain that derailed his 2025 season, sources say,” Pelissero said on X. “The cyst was pressing on a nerve, causing discomfort in Nussmeier’s oblique.”

“He has been asymptomatic since just prior to the Senior Bowl and all throughout the draft process; if that changes down the road, Nussmeier could undergo a minimally invasive procedure and miss just 2-3 weeks while stitches heal,” he added.

Doctors believe there is no short-term or long-term risk for Garrett Nussmeier, which is good news for teams. This means his injury is not expected to affect his future career in a big way. Because of this, he is still expected to be picked in the middle rounds of the NFL Draft. In final mock drafts, ESPN’s Jordan Reid predicts Nussmeier will go at No. 93 to the Los Angeles Rams, while NFL.com’s Chad Reuter has him going at No. 76 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Overall, his draft position is staying around Day 2. Teams are still looking at both his talent and his past injuries, but he remains a solid option in the mid-rounds.