Brian Kelly identifies Jayden Daniels traits in Garrett Nussmeier

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels had a magical season for the Tigers in 2023, taking home the Heisman Trophy after posting one of the most impressive seasons a dual-threat quarterback has had in recent history.

Daniels has since declared for the NFL Draft, also sitting out of LSU’s bowl game, which allowed Tigers fans to get a sneak peek at what the quarterback position will look like in The Bayou next season with Garrett Nussmeier under center.

Nussmeier delivered, leading LSU to a 35-31 victory over Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl behind some impressive play. Which led to Tigers head coach Brian Kelly being asked after the game if Nussmeier shares any traits with Daniels.

“Certainly, again I don’t think you win a game on athleticism,” Kelly said. “You have to have the things necessary to overcome a deficit, overcome being a first-time starter. You can’t just get by on arm talent. You’ve got to be a guy that’s confident in your ability, has a great process that he trusts.”

Athletically, it’s hard to find many quarterbacks that stack up athletically with Jayden Daniels, who rushed for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns this past season to go along with his 3,812 passing yards and 40 touchdowns through the air.

Nussmeier had zero rush attempts versus the Badgers in the bowl game, but threw for an impressive 395 yards and three touchdowns to help lead LSU to a win. Which included a four-yard touchdown pass to Brian Thomas with 3:08 left in the game to give the Tigers their very first lead of the game, holding on to win their second straight bowl game under Kelly.

“So he’s got a lot of the same traits that Jayden does, obviously he doesn’t run and has the escapability, you didn’t see any of that today where Jayden created a lot of yards for us there. But Nuss can do it in other ways and I think he’s gonna continue to do that for us,” Kelly concluded.

Nussmeier and Daniels competed for the starting quarterback job heading into the season, with Nussmeier pushing Daniels as a redshirt sophomore competing with a returning starter.

Daniels won the job and embarked on a historic season, but Nussmeier’s patience with the LSU program will pay off next season as he’ll more than likely be the Tigers’ unquestioned starter under center. As the ReliaQuest Bowl MVP will look to build on his strong performance to end the season and follow in the footsteps of a Heisman Trophy winner.