BATON ROUGE, La. — Garrett Nussmeier isn’t just back; he’s dangerous. After a 2025 campaign hampered by a secret abdomen injury, the LSU quarterback is surging up draft boards following a Senior Bowl MVP performance and a lights-out Pro Day. While some scouts fixate on his 2025 dip, the tape from his 4,052-yard season in 2024 tells a much different story of a future NFL starter.
ESPN’s Benjamin Solak recently shook up the draft community by linking Nussmeier to one of the class’s biggest names. Solak compared the LSU signal-caller to Alabama’s Ty Simpson, suggesting that teams could find similar upside without the first-round price tag. “If you like Ty Simpson… you should also like Garrett Nussmeier a few rounds later,” Solak noted on Friday. The logic is simple: Nussmeier has the “gamer” mentality and the NFL pedigree to match any top prospect in the 2026 class.
The scouts in attendance at LSU’s facility on Friday saw a passer who finally looked healthy. The ball didn’t just fly; it hummed. Nussmeier hit every level of the field, proving the 1,927 yards and 12 touchdowns from last season were a byproduct of pain, not a lack of talent. When he’s right, he’s the same guy who torched defenses for 29 touchdowns only two years ago.
“It’s been a long road to try to get back to being healthy. It’s been tough, but I’m a big believer in my faith. I feel like because I went through what I went through this year, I don’t know if there’s anything that’s gonna faze me going into this next level.”
— Garrett Nussmeier, LSU Quarterback
Nussmeier carries a unique edge into late April. As the son of New Orleans Saints Offensive Coordinator Doug Nussmeier, he grew up in film rooms. That high football IQ was on full display during the 2026 Senior Bowl, where he dissected pro-style defenses with ease. While Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Alabama’s Ty Simpson grab the early headlines, Nussmeier is the veteran presence a team like the Jets or Rams could target in the middle rounds to secure their future.
The “stabbing pain” he described playing through in 2025 is gone. In its place is a quarterback with a chip on his shoulder the size of Tiger Stadium. If a franchise can nab a 4,000-yard producer in the third or fourth round, it won’t just be a good pick—it will be the theft of the 2026 NFL Draft.
