Garrett Nussmeier’s season has not gone as he had hoped. His performance against Ole Miss posted a career low in passing yards. This has been the case for Nussmeier this season, who has been looking like a shadow of his former self. It raises the question – Is Nussmeier still a first-round NFL pick? Ryen Russillo  and a certain QB coach gave their opinions on the matter.

In the game against Ole Miss, Garrett Nussmeier completed 21 out of 34 passing attempts and had 1 TD. While that may sound impressive, those completions were for 197 passing yards, which was a career low for him. He also threw an interception to Wydett Williams Jr at the 29-yard line, which stopped LSU’s potential drive. As a player who was touted as a first-round NFL draft pick, Nussmeier has not been stepping up this season. On Ryen’s podcast, QB coach Quincy Avery dismissed the idea of Nussmeier being a first draft pick anymore.

“I really had him high before the season. But I think right now he’s like a second or third round pick,” said Avery. Indeed, Nussmeier has not been performing like he was last season. Last season, he completed 337 of 525 passes for 4,052 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He ranked No. 2 in LSU’s history and No. 10 in SEC history for passing yards last season. Analysts even considered him a candidate for the No. 1 overall pick. So, it is shocking to see the same guy dropping an awful performance against Ole Miss.

Quincy Avery continued dropping bombs on Nussmeier on the podcast. “If you’re not a great athlete, and you have to play that way, and he doesn’t. He’s not getting the ball out of his hands in the way that he should. He’s not supremely accurate. And if you can’t do those things, what are we doing here?” said Avery, questioning Nussmeier’s abilities.

While it’s definitely harsh, Avery does not say that without reason. Nussmeier’s passes looked slow and inaccurate against Ole Miss. The Rebels’ defense pressured Nussmeier, which made him struggle while making plays. He also underthrew a pass to Chris Hilton Jr. in the first quarter, who was wide open by 7 yards. If he had made that pass, then it would have been a 43-yard touchdown. A missed golden opportunity for LSU to score.

The offense as a whole struggled, managing only 57 rushing yards on 22 carries. Ole Miss’s defense made sure there weren’t any gaps for LSU’s offense to exploit. This did put pressure on Nussmeier, who then struggled to make impactful plays. Some reports believe his knee injury could also be a factor in his recent performances. Injury or not, Garrett Nussmeier is under the negative spotlight regardless.

It’s now or never for Garrett Nussmeier

LSU’s loss against Ole Miss meant an end to its four-match winning streak. Before their match, HC Brian Kelly pointed out that his team is not a dual-threat offense. He also said, “We don’t have a QB who will run for 100 yards. We have to rely on efficient runs to set up everything else we do,” indicating that if Nussmeier were a dual-threat, they wouldn’t have to depend so much on the freshman running back to compensate for the production of a veteran.

This means that Garret Nussmeier has to prove his worth as a QB for LSU. Even if he’s not a dual-threat, he will have to make sure that his passing and decision-making in tight windows are precise. While he may be under scrutiny right now, there is no doubt that he is talented. You don’t get into conversations as a No.1 NFL draft pick if you are not.

We are just five weeks deep into the season, and LSU has a 4-1 record. The loss against Ole Miss isn’t the end for Brian Kelly’s team. If they want to beat South Carolina, Nussmeier has to step up and bring back his form from last season, when he was terrorizing defenses left, right, and center.