LSU awards Garrett Nussmeier prestigious No. 18 jersey

Each year, LSU‘s coaching staff awards jersey No. 18 to a player who has demonstrated excellence both on and off the field. On Sunday, LSU football announced Garrett Nussmeier will wear the revered No. 18 this season, the first LSU quarterback to do so since Matt Mauck started the tradition in 2003.

Last season, linebacker Greg Penn III and running back Josh Williams each wore No. 18 for the Tigers. Both players moved on from the program this offseason, leaving the coveted jersey up for grabs. Now, Nussmeier will do his best to make the previous jersey wearers proud this fall.

Even if Nussmeier hadn’t been awarded the No. 18 jersey, expectations are high for the fifth-year QB. After spending three seasons as a backup, Nussmeier was finally LSU’s full-time starting quarterback last season.

He didn’t allow the opportunity to go to waste, completing 64.2% of his pass attempts for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns compared to just 12 interceptions. Evidently, experts don’t expect Nussmeier to slow down in the upcoming season.

Nussmeier is currently one of the betting favorites to win the Heisman Trophy, according to BetMGM. Moreover, SEC coaches named Nussmeier the preseason all-conference first-team quarterback. At SEC Media Days in July, SEC Network analyst Jordan Rodgers raved about Nussmeier.

“I think Garrett Nussmeier is the best quarterback in the entire country,” Rodgers said. “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.”

There was some concern about Nussmeier’s health at the beginning of August when he left LSU’s practice due to his patellar tendinitis. However, head coach Brian Kelly is confident Nussmeier will be ready for the team’s season-opener against Clemson.

The standout QB can only hope to be fully recovered by then because there will be no shortage of NFL scouts watching him. On Wednesday, ESPN’s Field Yates projected Nussmeier to be the No. 16 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

“Nussmeier — the son of Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier — is like a point guard on the field, playing with elite processing skills and very good accuracy,” Yates wrote. “He lacks dynamic athleticism and has just solid arm strength, but he is still able to deliver the ball on time and to spots where his receivers can create after the catch.”