Will Garrett Nussmeier carry the LSU Tigers offense to the playoffs, and is there a solid backup behind him?

The LSU Tigers of 2023 were one of the best offenses in the history off college football. Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers, and Brian Thomas Jr. connected for over 2700 yards and 31 touchdowns through the air just between the three of them. The LSU offense as a whole averaged the second most yards per play ever . It was a nearly unstoppable machine.

Repeating the 2023 magic might not be realistic. So, how will Garrett Nussmeier and the 2024 LSU Tigers find enough success to make it to the first 12-Team College Football Playoff? And what does the quarterback room truly look like now in a post-Jayden Daniels world? Let's dive in.

Garrett Nussmeier's long wait is over and he's ready to star

In the age of the Transfer Portal and NIL quarterbacks like Garrett Nussmeier are rare. He could have bolted impatiently looking for a "better" opportunity to play sooner, but instead Nussmeier put his head down and worked hard for the last three years in Baton Rouge. His faith and hard work will now be rewarded with an opportunity to wow the nation as the starting quarterback for LSU in 2024.

At SEC Media Days Nussmeier shared a bit of his thought process behind choosing to stay at LSU, talking through his faith, and drive to work for his opportunity rather than "pick up and leave" (as you can see in the post below).

In limited action for LSU over the course of the past three seasons Nussmeier has flashed greatness. Just last fall he threw four touchdowns to just one interception on his 78 pass attempts, showing improvement over his previous two seasons of limited work. Then this April, Garrett Nussmeier put on an absolute show in LSU's spring game throwing two impressive touchdowns, making everything look easy.

Nussmeier may not be able to add the upside on the ground as a runner that Jayden Daniels brought this past season, but his arm talent certainly looks ready to beat the toughest defenses in the country. However, if he's going to succeed, it's going to take some excellent play from the receivers he's targeting down the field. So who will step up there?

Nussmeier believes in his deep wide receiver room

For those who have been following LSU closely this offseason the Tigers have legitimately seen six different wide receivers hyped up throughout the year. Whether it was coaches, Garrett Nussmeier himself, or media members, despite losing two first round picks the wide receiver room has been full of tough competition all offseason long.

And when asked about the group at SEC Media Days, Garrett Nussmeier spoke highly of the wide receivers saying that the whole position room has "stepped up really really big this offseason" into the tough shoes to fill at LSU. There's a standard of elite wide receiver play spanning multiple decades at LSU, and if Nussmeier is to be believed, we're going to see some breakout seasons from a few of them.

Kyren Lacy, CJ Daniels (transfer from Liberty), Aaron Anderson (former five star), Chris Hilton Jr., Zavion Thomas (transfer from Mississippi State), and Kyle Parker have all made incredible plays off and on with the first team over the past several months. Aaron Anderson should bring explosion out of the slot. Lacy, Hilton, and CJ Daniels should all find success more so outside. Thomas and Parker should be able to stretch the field for explosive splash plays.

While they may not be Malik Nabers or Brian Thomas Jr., the ability to truly go six deep at wide receiver and feel good about the talent level should make LSU Tigers fans feel confident in the 2024 offense this fall.

The QB Room Behind Nussmeier

If Nussmeier is as successful as some believe he will be leaving for the NFL next spring. If that does happen, or if God forbid Nussmeier misses time due to injury this season, who could be the quarterback to replace him?

There's been a pretty consistent open competition going on between two quarterbacks this offseason for the backup spot behind Nussmeier. Former Vanderbilt passer AJ Swann and 2023 four star recruit Rickie Collins both logged solid reps for LSU throughout the offseason. However, Collins really impressed in the spring game with his top notch dual-threat abilities playing with the second team mostly, then some with the first when Nussmeier took a seat. Swann on the other hand didn't finish strong in the spring game at all, looking out of sync and missing a few passes.

Rickie Collins still likely carries a lead for the backup role in to fall practices over Swann. After those two, true freshman Colin Hurley--who was once considered a Top 100 overall player in the country--should provide some competitive depth in future seasons. In fact, given what we're hearing from the coaching staff already, he could be right in the mix for the 2025 starting role if he continues to progress.

Overall the LSU offense is clearly going to need to see some big leaps taken by Garrett Nussmeier and the majority of the playmaking talent, but they're incredibly deep at some of the most important positions.

Be looking for more LSU Tigers coverage here at A to Z Sports all year long! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!

If you want to see the arm talent that could make Garrett Nussmeier special for LSU just check out the highlights below!