ESPN's Louis Riddick predicts Garrett Nussmeier will win Heisman Trophy

Garrett Nussmeier is receiving a ton of hype heading into the 2025 season. ESPN’s Louis Riddick believes he’ll make good on it, winning the Heisman Trophy in the process.

“I’m going to go with Garrett Nussmeier,” Riddick stated via Get Up, predicting the LSU quarterback to win the prestigious award. “He’s going to be the one who’s in control. He’s the one who has the ball in his hands every single play. He’s uber-talented. He’s super smooth, makes great decisions, really poised in the pocket and he’s in control of his own destiny. I kind of like that. I kind of like what he brings to the table.

“I’ve seen Cade Klubnik play, I don’t think he’s going to be a Heisman Trophy favorite. I get to see LaNorris Sellers early in the season. Garrett Nussmeier is the pick for me though right now.”

It’s easy to see why Riddick is high on Nussmeier. He finished last season with 4,052 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. It was a great start for the senior from Lake Charles, but he has one more opportunity to lead his team to a national title in 2025.

Last season, LSU ended up finishing the season with a 9-4 record during Nussmeier’s first season as starting quarterback. However, his numbers were among the best in the SEC. That has SEC Network’s Jordan Rodgers agreeing with Riddick, believing Nussmeier is the top signal-caller in the country.

“I think Garrett Nussmeier is the best quarterback in the entire country,” Rodgers told Paul Finebaum earlier this summer. “I think he is ready for a monster year, and partly because of who he is and what we saw from him last year. I think he’s one of the best quarterbacks under pressure. He’s be able to create, navigate the pocket, throw off platform, be accurate in tight windows.

“I love the pieces they went out and got to put around him. You’ve got Nic Anderson from Oklahoma, who’s a 6-foot-5, big target. I think they have so much speed. They needed a guy that can really win one on one matchups with size. Then, they got Barion Brown, a guy that was underutilized at Kentucky in the last couple of years. And obviously, Aaron Anderson and Chris Hilton. The speed they have, the talent they have around him — I think he’s poised for a special year now.”

All told, it’ll begin for Garrett Nussmeier in Week 1, when LSU faces the Clemson Tigers. Kickoff is set for Aug. 30 at 7:30 p.m. ET and will air live on ABC. Clemson is an early favorite to win the matchup at home, but a win could send the Tigers quarterback’s hype into the stratosphere.

— On3’s Barkley Truax contributed to this article.