With the NCAA’s current transfer portal rules, many have described the world of big-time college athletics as the “Wild West.” But in preparation for the 2024 college football season, at SEC Media Days in Dallas on Monday, LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier spoke about why he stuck around in Baton Rouge rather than enter his name in the portal, as so many do.
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“When I was making my decision out of high school of where to go to school, I felt like there was a lot of prayer involved, and God brought me to LSU for a reason,” said Nussmeier, a former four-star prospect who backed up 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels for two seasons. “I did not feel like it was my time to just pack up and leave. I felt like it was my duty to just keep my head down and trust in His timing and just work. I know God’s timing is always right.”
Nussmeier, 22, will enter his fourth season with the Tigers this fall, having only ever started last season’s ReliaQuest Bowl victory against Wisconsin. He’s played a fair amount otherwise — appearing 18 games with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions — but it’s never been “his team.” This fall, that’s all set to change.
“I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to step into some pretty tough situations,” Nussmeier said later at SEC Media Days. “I feel like they’ve only made me better as a player. And now getting the experience — and the preparation as well — as a starter, I think it’ll only help even more. … I’ve been thrown into some tough situations, but it’s only made me better and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Nussmeier referenced extended playing time against Alabama, Auburn and in the SEC Championship Game against Georgia as moments that were key in preparing him to be a full-time starter in 2024. Yet during Nussmeier’s time as a backup, he was learning far more than just X’s and O’s.
“I’ve grown a lot closer to God and got to experience different things through my relationship with Him too,” he told reporters at the Manning Passing Academy last month. “I had to learn to put a lot more trust in Him, and I think everything happens for a reason. God’s timing is always right, so it was learning to accept that and put all my trust and all my faith in Him.”
"I've grown a lot closer to God. And got to experience different things through my relationship with him too. I had to learn to put a lot more trust in him."@LSUfootball @Garrettnuss13 at Manning Passing Academy. #LSU pic.twitter.com/GTuXeqq5Au
— Jacques Doucet (@JacquesDoucet) June 28, 2024
Nussmeier wears eye black under both eyes in the shape of a cross on game days, and he often cites some of his favorite Bible verses on his social media accounts.
1 Peter 1:3 ❤️🔥
— Garrett Nussmeier (@Garrettnuss13) March 31, 2024
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“I’ve been trusting in God and trusting in God’s plan for me,” Nussmeier told Fan Nation before his start in last season’s ReliaQuest Bowl. “Sometimes you want things and it may not come when you want it, but God has the right timing, so it’s about trusting in Him and letting it happen when it was supposed to happen.
“… It’s been a long three years trying to stay patient and trust in the plan, trust in the process, trust in God’s plan. It’s a weird feeling, but I’m very excited. I’m more excited to get out there and play my best and show people what I can do.”
LSU’s season opener pits the Tigers against the USC Trojans in the Vegas Kickoff Classic from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The game is set for Sunday, Sept. 1, at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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