If Garrett Nussmeier had turned pro after his first year as LSU's starting quarterback, he would have been a fairly high pick in the NFL draft. With his potential inside a weak quarterback class, he might have even gone in the first round. But as Nussmeier prayed about the decision, what he thought he should do became clear.
“Coming back, I feel like I had unfinished business,” Nussmeier said Monday in an interview with The Advocate. “I feel like the product that I put on tape wasn't what I wanted it to be. And it's not what I wanted to leave.”
Plus, Nussmeier understood what LSU wanted to build around him. In the months after he announced his return, the Tigers signed the No. 1 transfer portal class in the country, according to 247Sports, while retaining several key players.
Brian Kelly repeatedly has called this his best roster since coming to LSU. And Nussmeier agrees.
“I fully believe in coach Kelly and what he wants to accomplish this year,” Nussmeier said. “I didn't want to watch anybody else try to make that happen. I wanted to be the guy to spearhead that and lead that, so it wasn't that hard of a decision for me.”
Now one month from preseason practice, Nussmeier has spent the offseason trying to improve. He knows he needs to use his legs more and clean up his decision-making after throwing 12 interceptions. It could make a difference that, for the first time at LSU, Nussmeier has a full season’s worth of game tape to review.
Watching the film has helped Nussmeier examine his weaknesses and identify his mistakes as he dives deeper into the offense. Entering his second year as the starter — and his fourth within the same system — he said he understands his job at a high enough level to focus on other decisions he needs to make within a play. He didn't as much a year ago.
“The offense, I know it like the back of my hand now,” Nussmeier said. “That has allowed me to go into different areas."
Garrett Nussmeier has ‘unfinished business’ in 2025 and knows LSU needs to beat Clemson
Nussmeier acknowledged he needs to run more after appearing hesitant to scramble last season. That does not mean going for 1,000 yards like his predecessor Jayden Daniels, but Nussmeier recognized there were several moments when he could have gained a few yards instead of forcing a throw.
“Definitely not trying to be a 1,000-yard rusher,” Nussmeier said, smiling. “I mean, if it happens, it happens, but I don't know how likely that is. But no, it's just being able to stress the defense in different ways.”
Learning when to run and preparing his body to do so have been some of Nussmeier’s priorities the past few months. If defenses respect his running ability, it would open plays in the passing game. He said he has trained “my lower body harder than ever” to make quicker, more explosive movements.
“Because I didn’t do a good enough job of taking off last year, they were able to cover things in a way that would have left the feet open," Nussmeier said.
As part of his training program, Nussmeier intentionally lost weight for the first time since he enrolled at LSU. After he arrived around 160 pounds in 2021, he had to eat. A lot. Nussmeier recalled stuffing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches between meetings and before bed to gain weight.
After playing last season around 200 pounds, Nussmeier got down to 194 a few months ago. He's putting the weight back on, but in a different way.
“It was definitely different for me to learn how to eat the correct way and make sure I'm eating at the right times,” Nussmeier said.
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LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (13) tucks the ball to run during the LClub Spring Football practice on Saturday, April 12, 2025 at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON
In his free time, Nussmeier has played golf, visited family outside Dallas and watched Saints practice with his dad, offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier. He also has thrown to LSU’s receivers, preparing for the season ahead with a group that includes Oklahoma transfer Nic Anderson and Kentucky transfer Barion Brown.
"It's the closest team I've ever been on, and we're still continuing to build that," Nussmeier said. "It's all about chemistry. We acknowledge that. We know that the best teams are the closest teams."
In this era, the offseason also has meant upholding his end of name, image and likeness deals. Before the Manning Passing Academy last week, Nussmeier filmed a commercial for Raising Cane’s with Texas quarterback Arch Manning. And he will appear on a cover of EA Sports College Football 26, which releases next week, after going to a spring photoshoot at the Rose Bowl.
Nussmeier hopes learning how to make time in his schedule for advertisements has prepared him for being an NFL quarterback, but he has another college season to play first.
Recently, he realized how many things he will do for the last time over the rest of the year. He only has a few more weeks left in his final college offseason, then his final preseason camp. There will be one more opener, and so on, until he has no choice but to leave for the NFL. With time ticking, he wants to enjoy the experience.
“I’ve been attacking with that mindset every single day,” Nussmeier said. “This is my last time to wake up at 6 a.m. and go to a heavy squat day with the boys and have to run 20 tempos after, you know? ... I just continue to go at it each and every day, knowing it's my last.”