The SEC is loaded with quarterback talent heading into 2025. College football fans can’t wait to see guys like Texas’s Arch Manning, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, and Florida’s DJ Lagway lead their offenses next season.
There’s one SEC quarterback, however, that is perhaps generating more buzz than all of those guys, and that’s LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier. Nussmeier will be entering his second year as the starting quarterback for the Tigers, and one analyst thinks that could be the recipe to winning the Heisman for the young signal-caller in 2025.
Andy Staples Believes Garrett Nussmeier Can Win the Heisman Trophy in Year Two With LSU
There’s no question that Nussmeier is one of the best returning quarterbacks in college football. In just his first year as LSU’s starter, the former four-star recruit threw for over 4,000 yards.
On On3’s “Andy and Ari” podcast, Andy Staples broke down why he thinks that Nussmeier could see a jump in that production in his second year as LSU’s starter and potentially win the Heisman Trophy in 2025.
“Garrett Nussmeier was a good starting quarterback in the SEC in Year One as a starter, and we’ve seen at LSU what happens when you go to Year Two,” Staples said.
So, what exactly is Staples hinting at here? He’s talking about two previous quarterbacks for LSU, Jayden Daniels and Joe Burrow, both of whom won the Heisman Trophy in their second seasons with the Tigers.
Burrow transferred to LSU in 2018. In his first season with the Tigers, he threw for just 2,894 yards and 16 touchdowns. However, Burrow exploded in his second season, throwing for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns in one of the most dominant quarterback seasons that college football has ever seen.
Daniels transferred to the Tigers in 2022. His first season was solid, but nothing special. He threw for 2,913 yards and 17 touchdowns. In his second season, Daniels was the best player in the country, throwing for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns.
Nussmeier’s first season with the Tigers was already miles ahead of Daniels and Burrow’s first one, but that doesn’t mean he’ll see the same jump in production that the other two quarterbacks did.
Nussmeier has all the talent in the world. He has a great arm, good mobility, he’s accurate, and poised in the pocket. With an offseason of development after seeing a full season in the SEC, there’s no doubt that we can expect improvement. But he’s still got a long way to go to be in the same conversation with Burrow or Daniels.
