LSU had arguably one of the deepest quarterback rooms in the entire nation in 2023. Led by Jayden Daniels, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, the Tigers QB room also included four-star QB's Garrett Nussmeier and Rickie Collins.
Now, it's impossible to overstate how big of a loss Jayden Daniels is for LSU. He was easily the best player in college football this season, and if the Tigers had an average defense, they probably would've been in contention for the national championship. However, if you have to lose a Heisman Trophy winning QB, you'd love to have a guy like Garrett Nussmeier ready to take his place.
Even without Daniels, the Tigers have a very deep quarterback room, so I thought we could go over who the Tigers will have on their roster in 2024.
Already in the building
The Tigers will have two scholarship quarterbacks who were on the roster in 2023, but they're also brining in two more through the transfer portal and their 2024 freshman class.
Garrett Nussmeier
Everyone who's been watching LSU Football for the past three years or so knows who Garrett Nussmeier is. He's a Louisiana boy who's patiently waited his turn to start for the Tigers, and after three years of being one of the best backups in the nation, he's finally going to get his chance.
In 2024, Nussmeier will almost certainly be the starter for LSU. Before the ReliaQuest Bowl, Nussmeier had completed 56.3% of his passes for 1,325 yards, eight touchdowns and six interceptions. Those numbers didn't jump off the page, but in the Tigers bowl game, Nussmeier threw for 395 yards and three touchdowns while completing nearly 69% of his passes.
He showed why Brian Kelly and LSU have so much trust in him. If he stays healthy, he can be an absolute baller for the Tigers next season as QB1.
Rickie Collins
Rickie Collins was a four-star recruit in the Tigers 2023 class. He was rated as the 16th best player in the state of Louisiana and the fourth best quarterback recruit in the class.
Collins played his high school ball at Woodlawn in Baton Rouge. In three seasons, Collins totaled 4,891 passing yards and 49 passing touchdowns and rushed for nearly 600 yards and six scores in his senior campaign. He's a dual threat quarterback who can beat you with his arm and his legs.
Collins is a player with a lot of potential and could be the guy once Nussmeier leaves. He's a very talented dual threat quarterback who will battle for depth Vanderbilt transfer AJ Swann next season.
The Transfer
With the loss of Jayden Daniels, the Tigers were one of the first teams to start digging for a quarterback in the transfer portal. At first, they targeted NC State QB MJ Morris, but after he committed to Maryland, they turned their sights to AJ Swann.
Swann played two seasons at Vanderbilt where he totaled 2,731 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He'll get a chance to compete, but he will likely find himself in a reserve role for 2024.
The Vanderbilt transfer gives the Tigers a solid, experienced backup option in case anything were to happen to Nussmeier during the season. The addition helps LSU once again have one of the deeper QB rooms in the nation in 2024.
The Freshman
Colin Hurley is a four-star QB from Jacksonville, Florida who has a lot of people in Baton Rouge very excited about what he brings to the table. Hurley just entered his first semester at LSU at just 16 years old. He turns 17 on March. 1, giving him ample time to learn and grow as a player before he needs to take the reins.
In his freshman season, Hurley led Trinity Christian Academy to the State Championship and was named the Florida Class 2A Player of the Year that season. In his career, Hurley has thrown for 5,000+ yards and is coming off a 1,707 yard, 22 touchdown senior season.
He'll be behind some talented quarterbacks in Baton Rouge, but Hurley has all the tools to one day take over under center for the Tigers.
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