Garrett Nussmeier details friendship, competition with Arch Manning

Garrett Nussmeier and Arch Manning are roommates this week at the Manning Passing Academy on the campus of Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana. According to the two SEC quarterbacks, they seem to be getting along just fine together.

Arch Manning also spoke about his relationship with Nussmeier at the event, noting their excursion to Walmart for food and other supplies for the week. Manning called Nussmeier “the man” before complimenting his knowledge of the game.

“It means a lot to me,” Nussmeier said of Manning’s comments. “I love Arch. He’s a really good player. Want nothing but the best for him. He may say that he looks up to me, but there are definitely parts of me that looks up to him, too. His ability, his swagger, his mindset. It’s something that is really fun to watch. He’s a really, really good player. … Definitely rooting for him, and I’m very appreciative of him.”

Nussmeier said their relationship consists of them talking at times throughout the season, “chopping it up” between two SEC quarterbacks. In addition to them sharing a room together during the academy, the two also recently filmed a commercial for Raising Cane’s feature other members of the Manning family, along with the fast food chain’s owner, Todd Graves.

Despite the two being in the SEC together, Nussmeier’s LSU Tigers and Manning’s Texas Longhorns will not meet during the regular season in 2025. Instead, the Tigers’ SEC schedule will feature key matchups such as Florida, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Alabama. For Texas, they’re set to take on the Gators as well, not to mention Georgia, and the Aggies as well.

Both teams will also kick their seasons off with a bang. Texas will head to Ohio Stadium to take on Ohio State in a rematch of the national semifinal from last season’s College Football Playoff. Meanwhile, LSU is heading to Clemson to take on the other Tigers in the other Death Valley. Nussmeier is excited to play in such a high-stakes games right out of the gates.

“Obviously it’s going to be loud,” Nussmeier said of the season opener against Clemson. “It’s going to be a very intense environment. It’s something that we welcome, that we invite. It’s a great opportunity. You come to LSU to play in environments like that. You get to play in the night game against another top-ranked team in prime time, you know? They’ve got a lot of players who are going to play for a long time, and so do we. It’s going to be a dog fight.”

Kickoff between LSU and Clemson 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, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.