BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) \u2014 LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier can see why he might appear conceited when periodically imploring teammates to hop on the \u201cNuss Bus.\u201d<\/p>\n
The prolific passer and potential Heisman Trophy candidate, whose ninth-ranked Tigers open the season at No. 4 Clemson on Saturday night, insists he’s not that full of himself.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt is definitely an ironic thing; it\u2019s not me being cocky,\u201d Nussmeier said of the nickname that he first heard in reference to his father, Doug, when the elder Nussmeier was the Washington Huskies\u2019 offensive coordinator from 2009 to 2011.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy teammates and people who spend time around me know that I wouldn\u2019t speak about myself like that,\u201d the younger Nussmeier said. \u201cI think it\u2019s pretty funny.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 23-year-old QB, now in his fifth year in college, said in an interview with The Associated Press that he tries not to take himself too seriously and to keep football fun \u2014 even as he focuses intently on doing his part to put LSU in national title contention.<\/p>\n
The long road<\/p>\n
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After getting into four games as a freshman in 2021, Nussmeier said he envisioned starting the following two years before turning pro in 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought I was going to be able to take this place over,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n
Then his first college coach, Ed Orgeron<\/a>, was replaced by Brian Kelly<\/a>. Soon after, transfer quarterback Jayden Daniels arrived from Arizona State and won the starting job in 2022. One year later, Daniels became LSU’s second Heisman Trophy-winning QB<\/a> since Joe Burrow in 2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n All the while, Nussmeier resisted the temptation to enter the transfer portal and explore lucrative offers from programs where he could step in as the No. 1 QB.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cIt was hard to not entertain the idea of being able to go somewhere else and get to play the sport that I love,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Nussmeier has a personal attachment to LSU and Louisiana, his mother’s native state, which he described as “the one constant place in my life\u201d during his father’s nomadic coaching career.<\/p>\n His father’s guidance also helped him consider the merits of delayed gratification.<\/p>\n \u201cHe instilled in me it\u2019s not about how fast you get out. It\u2019s about your process,” Nussmeier said, adding that his half-decade commitment to LSU “definitely is a testament to him, and how he raised me and brought me up around the game.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Nussmeier finally became LSU’s starter in 2024, passing for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns \u2014 good enough to make him a viable 2025 NFL draft candidate.<\/p>\n Yet he felt he would not have been true to himself if he’d passed up a chance to start as many as six more games in LSU’s 102,000-seat Tiger Stadium for a team with College Football Playoff aspirations.<\/p>\n \u201cLSU means the world to me and my family,” he said.<\/p>\n Doug Nussmeier, who was part of the 2024-25 Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl winning staff, expresses wonder at how fate has placed him in New Orleans, less than a 90-minute drive from Baton Rouge, for his son’s final season at LSU.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cStuff just doesn\u2019t happen like this when you\u2019re in the coaching profession,\u201d the elder Nussmeier said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really proud of him for making a decision he felt best about,\u201d he added. \u201cHe\u2019s not living my dream or my wife\u2019s dream; he\u2019s living his dream.\u201d<\/p>\n To Kelly, Nussmeier’s story is good for college football.<\/p>\n \u201cHe had some tough days,” Kelly said. \u201cPerseverance is now part of his makeup. Grit\u2019s a great thing to have in life. You\u2019re going to need it.\u201d<\/p>\n Nussmeier doesn’t judge college athletes who haven’t shown the type of commitment or loyalty that he has, but he hopes his experience can be instructive.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody has different paths,” Nussmeier said. “If there wasn\u2019t a path for me to get on the field here at LSU, I would have had to make that decision to transfer.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope that some kid will see my story and know that if there is an opportunity to play, even though it\u2019s not easy, it\u2019s worth it.”<\/p>\n Heisman hype<\/p>\n Oddsmakers have listed Nussmeier among the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy<\/a> \u2014 currently second behind his friend, Texas quarterback Arch Manning.<\/p>\n Were Nussmeier to win it, LSU would become the first program to field three Heisman QBs within seven seasons.<\/p>\n Kelly says Nussmeier has the maturity and experience to handle the hype \u2014 particularly after being Daniels’ teammate in 2023.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cHe lived it. He was part of it. He knew what it looked like,\u201d Kelly said, adding that his main message to players like Nussmeier is that \u201cexpectations are set by others and you’ve got to focus on what’s important to you.\u201d<\/p>\n Kelly said Nussmeier has done so by bulking up to become more durable when he runs the ball; by developing chemistry last offseason with what is expected to be a deep, talented and fast receiver corps; by working to limit risky throws; and by refining his timing and technique on shorter, \u201ccheck-down\u201d throws.<\/p>\n When Kelly scrutinized Nussmeier’s body language on short throws last season, he said it looked like his QB was thinking: \u201cI didn\u2019t get a chance to throw it down the field. So, you take it.”<\/p>\n \u201cWe just changed the way he thought about it,\u201d Kelly said. “It\u2019s not a touchdown? So, make it a good checkdown.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Nussmeier said he’d be grateful to be in the Heisman conversation this season but stressed that he’s \u201creally just focused on winning a national championship.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the reason I came back,\u201d he said. “That\u2019s the reason I\u2019ve been going so hard every single day and I truly believe we have the team that can accomplish that.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here<\/a>. AP college football: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/ap-top-25-college-football-poll<\/a> and https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/college-football<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BATON ROUGE, La. 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