Joel Klatt makes case for Garrett Nussmeier as top six QB in college football, makes strong LSU prediction

On Monday, Joel Klatt projected LSU‘s Garrett Nussmeier to be the No. 6 quarterback in college football in the upcoming season. The FOX Sports analyst had plenty of reasons to defend his stance, too.

“Garrett Nussmeier might not be the most athletic guy out there, but he’s huge, and he threw for over 4,000 yards last year,” Klatt said. “He’s an absolute gunslinger, good and bad. He can take some chances, but in that offense with Brian Kelly, you know that he’s going to put up numbers.

“LSU is going to be a really good football team. This should be Brian’s best LSU team, I think, at least. Got to cut down on turnovers, 15 last year. And for a traditional pocket guy that’s not going to bail you out with his legs, minimizing turnovers is a must. You cannot turn the football over if you’re going to be a traditional pocket guy.”

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 for yards lost during sacks, Nussmeier finished the season with negative rushing yards. While Klatt didn’t seem confident that Nussmeier could become a rushing threat in 2025, ESPN’s Greg McElroy thinks the fifth-year QB could cause problems for opponents in the ground game.

“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 tight 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.