Garrett Nussmeier and Miller Moss took the road less traveled. They were the quarterbacks that DIDN’T transfer. And opting to be the guys after Heisman winners Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels left for the NFL has paid off. At a time when patience is no longer a virtue in college football, there’s something to be said about LSU and USC’s starting quarterbacks being the guys that stuck around.
Kirk Herbstreit echoed that something to be said on Sunday night’s broadcast of USC’s 27-20 win. ESPN’s leading college football personality offered a word of advice to any middle school, high school, or even college quarterbacks tuned in to the final three minutes of Sunday’s thrilling finish.
“Hey, young quarterbacks out there, I want you to pay attention to one thing, and it’s that everybody’s in a different situation,” said Herbstreit as he fought the crowd noise. “You got two quarterbacks out there right now that have sat around and paid their dues, watched, listened, paid attention, and learned and developed in the shadows. They didn’t leave because they were frustrated after a year or two.
“They waited and patiently got better, so when their time came, whether it’s a third-year or a fourth-year, they’re in the same system and a chance to become the guy. We’re seeing two examples of that tonight. It’s different in this position than most positions. Sitting and waiting is not a terrible thing.”
It’s not. But not everyone in the 2021 recruiting class would’ve done the same as Nussmeier and Moss, who were both ranked as top-20 quarterbacks and four stars at that in their respective classes. Looking at 247’s 2021 QB prospect rankings , Quinn Ewers, Caleb Williams, Sam Huard, Brock Vandagriff, Kaidon Salter, Kyle McCord, Ty Thompson, Tyler Buchner, Eli Stowers, Jaxson Dart, Jake Garcia and Kyron Drones have all since transferred from the original programs they committed to.
It’s worth noting that Dart and Moss committed to USC before Lincoln Riley became the head coach at Southern Cal. Riley brought Williams with him from Oklahoma, while Dart left for Ole Miss. Moss, being a California kid from Mission Hill, stayed put. It all worked out for the aforementioned quarterbacks, but it doesn’t always work out as perfectly.
It didn’t work out like that for Nussmeier, at least not originally. He had to sit and wait behind Jayden Daniels, but that patience and his decision not to jump ship to be another program’s quarterback have seemingly paid off. Both he and Moss looked like NFL Draft prospects in Week 1.
Moss completed 27-of-36 passes for 378 yards with a touchdown, while Nussmeier completed 29-of-38 passes for 304 yards with two touchdowns against an interception. And while Kelly said that Moss outplayed his quarterback, it’s not exactly a debate that both of the quarterbacks looked the part on Sunday night in Las Vegas.
“They look like seasoned veterans, and they stayed within a program; they’ve learned their teammates,” he continued. “Their teammates look at them, and it’s like, ‘OK, our guys that were here last year are gone; you’re our guy now. And you know what? We’ve seen you in the weight room at 6 a.m. these last three years. We know what you’ve put into this. We know the sweat that you put into this program. You’re our guy; we believe in you.’ It’s a great reminder for a lot of guys watching around the country.”
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