Rivals100 QB Garrett Nussmeier commits to LSU

The onset of the CoVid19 pandemic altered the recruitment of so many high-level prospects around the country. That included Garrett Nussmeier.

The Rivals100 quarterback had been continuing to add more and more offers to his resume as coaches checked out the highlights of The Lone Star State's top pro-style passer. That, in turn, set the stage for a busy spring and campus visits to several new contenders.

With the NCAA instituting an indefinite dead period, Nussmeier examined all of his options -- at least virtually -- before coming to a decision over the weekend.

On Monday, Nussmeier gave a public commitment to LSU. Miami, TCU, Baylor, Arizona State, Texas and Texas A&M were all finalists, though the four-star signal-caller was unable to make visits to several of those schools, namely Miami, Texas and Texas A&M.

The decision is hardly a surprise given his unique relationship with LSU. Nussmeier is originally from Lake Charles, La., and has family that resides in the area. The Flower Mound (Texas) Marcus standout has been camping at and visiting Baton Rouge dating back to his freshman year when the Tigers signed his former high school teammate Marcel Brooks back in 2019.

In other words, despite attrition and new additions, the entire LSU coaching staff has been hard-after Nussmeier for several years leading into his commitment.

Nussmeier was able to make his way back to Baton Rouge at the beginning of March for LSU's inaugural spring practice following the 2019 championship. He also made a stop to Baylor and had plans to make his way out to Miami to reconnect with former SMU offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee, to Arizona State and to both Texas and Texas A&M, which had each offered the in-state standout earlier in the year. The global pandemic forced Nussmeier to curb his college campus tour and instead go with the school he knows best -- even after electing not to commit on April 18 weekend as originally planned.

Nussmeier is the first quarterback commitment in LSU's 2021 recruiting class, which entered the day at No. 16 in the Rivals team rankings after upping the total number of pledges in the class to eight. Nussmeier is the Tigers' ninth addition and the third Texan to join the group joining fellow four-stars JoJo Earle and Landon Jackson, who have each committed in the past 10 days.

On timing of his decision: "It was always a dream of mine to get it out the week after Easter and to tell my family on Easter, but due to the circumstances it wasn't able to happen. We're usually all in Louisiana, having a big crawfish boil and I was excited to tell them there but because of the Coronavirus, I wasn't able to do that. I tried to make a decision but I wasn't ready. I wanted to get some visits in, but I started to realize where home was to me and I was ready to become an LSU Tiger."

On making the decision on May 4: "It was a lot of thought and prayer and talks with my family about what felt right for me. The future is unforeseen; you don't know what's gonna happen, but I knew in my heart LSU was the place for me. My family is from there, I always wanted to be a Tiger and I dreamed of playing in Death Valley, so it seemed right."

On how LSU edged out other suitors: "Not only was LSU my first offer, but I could say with 100-percent full confidence that they recruited me harder than any other staff. It was consistent. They were my first offer and talked to me every week as much as possible. We continued to build that relationship with Coach (Steve) Ensminger since my freshman year and Coach (Scott) Lineham coming in, he was my dad's offensive coordinator in college at Idaho. To coach a second-generation Nussmeier has to be cool for him."

On the Linehan factor: "I'm looking forward to getting coached by both of them. The offense is unbelievable and it's ahead of the game. Hopefully, I'll learn it and get it to its max potential. To play for Linehan and Ensminger will be unbelievable and with him coaching my dad and now coaching me, I cannot imagine what it'll be like for him and my dad to see that."

On replacing Joe Burrow: "A lot of kids get lost talking about filling shoes. I'll step on campus and do my job and do anything asked of me to the best of my ability. I'm not gonna try to be Joe Burrow. I'm gonna be Garrett Nussmeier and stay within the offense to help us get back to where we were. I'm excited for it. I'm not gonna compare myself to him, but I think we're similar football players, especially as coach's kids, and the mental aspect of the game, but I won't be comparing myself to him."

On recruiting targets: "JoJo (Earle) is an unbelievable player, really explosive. It's attractive going to LSU because they have weapons and people to throw the football tot. To build up this recruiting class was another reason I wanted to get it done. To have a voice and get people to come play with us -- we're gonna all do a good job recruiting kids and build the class to be one of the best in the country."

On telling Coach O: "That was unbelievable. Telling him over the phone, to be honest, and hearing 'Geaux Tigers,' was special. It's an amazing moment I'll remember for the rest of my life."

Nussmeier, a Louisiana native, is coming off a breakout season in which he guided Flower Mound (Texas) Marcus to an 11-2 record and an appearance in the third round of the Class 6A D-II playoffs. In the process, Nussmeier's team captured an undefeated district championship and the quarterback was awarded the MVP as a junior.

Nussmeier is the son of current Dallas Cowboys assistant Doug Nussmeier, who has spent the majority of his coaching career in the collegiate ranks. His time in the NFL with the Cowboys and the St. Louis Rams came alongside Scott Linehan, who was named LSU's new passing-game coordinator after Joe Brady joined Matt Rhule's staff with the Carolina Panthers.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Nussmeier completed almost 67 percent of his passes in 2019 and a whopping 3,788 yards and 38 touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions. Nussmeier's production through the air comes against Class 6A competition in Texas.

Rivals has seen Nussmeier throw on tape and in-person on multiple occasions over the years, including Prime 21, live practice, 7-on-7, LSU elite prospect camp and the Rivals Camp Series stop in the Dallas area. He shines with his anticipation, arm strength and accuracy, all fundamental building blocks of an elite passer. Nussmeier is a strong decision-maker and a true field general capable of attacking opposing defenses at all different levels.

Nussmeier excels at attacking defenses with a downfield passing game. It's a testament to his unique arm strength and more so, his ability to throw outside the numbers and down the seams 40 and 50 yards away with extreme accuracy. Nussmeier is athletic enough to buy added time in the pocket or move to his left or right to allow his receivers to get downfield and win 1-on-1 matchups.

Technically speaking, Nussmeier has a quick, decisive release to go along with his special precision throwing from inside the pocket. He also can throw well while moving to both his left and right and not losing much in terms of accuracy. His strong football IQ rears itself with his ability to scan the field and diagnose mismatches in the defense or 1-on-1 matchups. Nussmeier separates himself with his anticipation, making a habit out of hitting his receivers in stride when -- or at times -- before they're even open.

Nussmeier has shown the ability to attack defenses in the middle of the field, outside the numbers at short and intermediate levels and downfield down the seams and outside the numbers. He spreads the ball around with a combination of touch in addition to the ability to rifle passes in. He's a smart decision-maker with only 10 interceptions on 431 pass attempts a season ago. He also exercises a pump fake to misdirect coverage.

One area Nussmeier will need to improve his game is holding onto the football too long when the coverage stands up. It shows -- at times -- on tape, but Nussmeier's ability to extend plays and get out of the pocket allows him to make up for it. That's a conservative approach that may be aided by better pass protection in Baton Rouge.