LSU’s Brian Kelly must exercise caution regarding his current quarterback situation. The Tigers went from a lofty playoff hope to a disappointing 9-4 ending real soon in the past year and look to heal up the scars in a brand new season. The pivotal point toward that path would be arguably the most important section of a team: the QB depth. Does Kelly have enough signees stacked up there except for Garrett Nussmeier, the obvious go-to guy for the LSU with a heavy number under his belt? The simple answer would be no. Is Kelly aware of the risk he’s dealing with and taking some groundbreaking steps to dodge that? Yes, certainly. The massive career decision of freshman running back Ju’Juan Johnson turns the tide.
LSU insider Matt Moscona recently highlighted a potential crisis in the Tigers’ offense going forward. Nussmeier has no doubt been a lone bright point, leading the team to a dominant ReliaQuest Bowl victory, but he has his issues that demand immediate attention. The MVP of the Tigers has shown enough heroics to be trusted for another great season at Baton Rouge, and this time as a more finished product and with fewer turnovers, but the underlying injury scare is very real after how he ended up tearing his shoulder during a game against the Oklahoma Sooners last season.
As an immediate backup, Michael Van Buren did not demonstrate enough to earn the collective trust to step up and perform effectively in the event of another season-ending injury to Nussmeier. Therefore, Kelly needed to add some quality players to his QB room. They have lost Bryce Underwood to Michigan and couldn’t pull someone from the portal worth replacing him in the center. But, come on, Kelly always has a plan. This time, it’s Ju’Juan Johnson, who just made a switch from RB to QB this season. Kelly has been making the best out of Johnson’s versatility ever since the kid signed up.
“If you’ve been tracking, LSU recruited him to LSU as a defensive back. He played running back last season and had a couple of touchdowns. He was very excited with the limited playing time that he did get last year. But now, an article just came out and said that Brian Kelly and his coaching staff are moving him to the quarterback,” insider Darrell said during the 15th of February’s episode of Between the Number Sports podcast.
As a senior, Johnson passed for 3,597 yards and 43 touchdowns while rushing for 1,484 yards and 25 touchdowns. That followed a junior campaign in which he accounted for 5,487 yards of total offense and 60 touchdowns. Well, if you want to see the decision from a technical point of view, Johnson’s QB transition makes the most sense. However, being a quarterback is not an easy task.
But again, after Colin Hurley’s horrible car accident dwindled the QB room for Kelly, he had left with only two feasible products, Michael Van Buren and Garrett Nussmeier. ”I think that one of the main reasons why LSU moved him to the quarterback is because of the injury to Colin Hurley,” the insider dug deeper into the why. Kelly’s strategic move might turn out to be a jackpot for the program, but Garrett Nussmeier has to produce the best of his ability, regardless.
Garrett Nussmeier received major flak over his biggest issue
Even if we skip the injury part, Nussmeier’s past records raise enough concern. In 2024, he mounted 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns, finishing second in the SEC. But if you watch his output against teams like Texas A&M and Alabama, you can read between the doubts.
In a crucial second half of their game against the Aggies, Nussmeier ended up throwing three interceptions, giving room to the opponents to add to their TD count. In the Alabama game, he did the same, making costly turnovers, including a fatal interception in the end zone, leading to a 42-13 loss. He also showcased difficulty in reading the field and in making prompt decisions.
SEC insider Adam Breneman put his potential on serious notice, saying, ”Do I think he can put a team on his back and go win a National Championship when he’s forced to throw the football and forced to win the game with his arm?” Breneman stated. “I don’t think so from what I’ve seen, and we’ve seen him make too many mistakes in some of the critical moments of games that have come back to hurt him.”
He needs to do better working on his issues and turn the page for Brian Kelly’s $61 million threat (his buyout amount) hanging on the head.
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