Greg McElroy defends where he ranked Garrett Nussmeier on Top 10 college football quarterback list

In April, ESPN analyst Greg McElroy predicted LSU‘s Garrett Nussmeier to be the fifth-best quarterback in the country next season. On Always College Football with Greg McElroy, he explained his reasoning.

“It’s kind of amazing that Garrett Nussmeier is still, in many ways, kind of flying under the radar,” McElroy said. “He’s a guy that had such a great year last year, but people have pointed to some of the mistakes that were made, like the interception thrown against [Texas] A&M.

“People have kind of focused on the negative. Well, I look at Nussmeier, and I look at some of those interceptions — yeah, he’s a gunslinger. He takes chances with the football sometimes. Does it concern me how often he’s willing to roll the dice and try to fit it in the small window? Yeah, maybe. But at the same time, he pulls it off more than most, and I think that he is in a really good position to go along with the weapons that they’ve now added.”

Last season was Nussmeier’s first as LSU’s full-time starting QB. In 13 starts, he completed 337-of-his-525 (64.2%) pass attempts for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns compared to just 12 interceptions.

While Nussmeier proved he has one of the best arms in the country, his ground game left much to be desired. Accounting yards lost during sacks, Nussmeier finished the season with negative rush yards. McElroy would like to see Nussmeier become a greater rushing threat this fall.

“The biggest thing I would like to see for Garrett Nussmeier this upcoming year is a willingness to take off and run,” McElroy said. “He never wanted to really keep the defense honest with his legs.

“It’s in there. He can do it. He’s plenty athletic. He just didn’t really show a real willingness to do it last year. So I would really like to see him grow in that area. But, man, I am really bullish on this young man.”

At 6-foot-2 and over 200 pounds, Nussmeier has the size to bulldoze defenders. Alas, he shouldn’t have to use his legs too much in the 2025 campaign.

The Tigers stocked up on receiving options in the transfer portal this offseason, including two tights ends and three wide receivers. Most notably, LSU reeled in a commitment from Kentucky‘s Barion Brown, who is one of the fastest wide receivers in college football.

It won’t be long before Nussmeier takes the field for his final season at LSU. The Tigers will kick off the 2025 campaign on Aug. 30, in a showdown against Clemson.