Scouting LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier: Could He Be QB1 in 2026?

Welcome back to The McShay Report! Today, we’re continuing our Summer Scouting Series with my early evaluation of LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, who’s been projected by many as the top quarterback prospect in the 2026 class. 

I spent some time studying Nussmeier’s tape this week and am confident that he’ll be right in the mix for QB1 next draft season. I’m not saying that he’s going to be Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen, but I do see a ton of Baker Mayfield in his game. 

There are certainly some things Nussmeier needs to work on—specifically his sliding and his tendency to play hero ball at times to the detriment of his team—but I’m bullish on him as a passer and a leader and think his untapped potential as a runner could be the secret sauce to help him reach another level as a prospect. 

We’ll be breaking for Memorial Day next week, but will continue our search for the 2026 QB1 on June 2 with a scouting report on South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers. Enjoy the holiday!

Garrett Nussmeier Scouting Report

Nussmeier is listed as 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, and is entering his fifth year at LSU. He’s played 31 games, including 14 starts, and is 10-4 as a starter. In 2024, he completed 337 of 525 passes (64.2 percent) for 4,052 yards, 29 TDs, and 12 interceptions. He’s engineered three fourth-quarter comebacks as a starter, including two in 2024 (against South Carolina and Ole Miss) and against Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl to cap the 2023 season. 

The guy is a gritty competitor and vocal leader. Nussmeier is also tough as nails—he missed six plays after suffering a shoulder injury vs. OU in ’24 but returned to lead the team to a 37-17 win. He graduated in May with a degree in interdisciplinary studies.

Players are graded on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being best

Mental Makeup (2)

• Son of NFL QB coach Doug, who also played QB in the NFL. You see it in his pre-snap reads and post-snap progressions. Fast eyes. Decisive. Gets through reads quickly. Picks up tendencies and attacks vulnerabilities. 

• Great control pre-snap and in hurry-up. 

• Love his confidence! Really impressed by how much he trusts his eyes and his arm. 

• Needs to learn when not to cross the line from aggressive to careless. That’s the biggest area in which there needs to be growth in year two as the starter. 

Accuracy (1)

• Elite ball placement. His timing, anticipation, trajectory, and touch are all excellent for a college prospect. Fades (back-shoulder and end zone) are impeccably spotted. Perimeter and over the middle, and all three levels … just outstanding. 

• Ability to throw off-platform, off-balance, on the move (etc.) is brilliant. So much cool stuff here. BAKER. 

• Only knock here is that he weirdly has some wildly inaccurate throws while trying to dump the ball off to outlets while he’s on the run. 

Release/Arm Strength (2)

• Super-quick release. Changes arm angles effectively. 

• Ball jumps off his hand. Good energy at the end of deep outside-the-numbers throws. 

• Always on time with the deep ball. 

• Average ability to drive the ball vertically. Not bad, but not elite. Needs to be on time, which he almost always is. 

Pocket Mobility (2)

• Really like his movement skills in the pocket. He’s never a sitting duck. HE has sudden feet on drops and when sliding/climbing.

• Agile enough to elude rushers while keeping his base underneath him.

• Absolutely fearless. Never flinches. 

• Tough as steel. 

• He CAN run. He just doesn’t unnecessarily. I’d actually like to see him run MORE. Lean on his feet in those moments he has the urge to make high-risk decisions with the ball.

• Looks uncomfortable sliding. LSU has a pretty good baseball program as a resource. 

Preseason Prospect Status

What makes us great can also be our fatal flaw. Late in games, Nussmeier has a tendency to go into absolute renegade mode at times. It has paid off three times (in 14 starts) during fourth-quarter comeback wins, but he also made some critical mistakes late against USC, South Carolina, and Florida that did—or should have in the case of South Carolina—cost his team. I want to see him become more situationally aggressive next season. That’s where I’m looking to see the most growth from Nuss. 

As for traits, he’s not much of a threat as a runner and he doesn’t have deep-ball energy on throws like Allen, Mahomes, etc. But he’s very sudden in the pocket and the ball jumps off his hands within 40 yards. Most importantly, his processing, ball placement, touch, and especially his timing are so damn good. 

Nuss is absolutely in the QB1 conversation heading into the ’25 season.

From the Scouting Notebook: A bonus inside look at some of the stream-of-consciousness notes I took while watching Nussmeier’s film. These are intentionally unedited!

USC

14:31 1Q - rolling RT, 18 back to 15 comeback RT. Drills it along the sideline. Great opening statement throw. 

2:36 2Q - LAYER over LB, soft spot zone. 

4:43 4Q - *Pre-snap check. Sliding LT buys himself time (eyes up, no panic), fast eyes through reads, layers it w/ soft tiuch over defenders (throwing while fading away)

3:14 4Q - B-S fade LT rail. How’s he fit the damn thing in? 

2:19 4Q - Misses gimmie in flat while sprinting towards target to RT (see this a few times on tape this yr… oddity or what? * And it’s trailing by 3pts 2:19 remaining ).

South Carolina (The South’s USC)

2:58 2Q - His legs get torpedoed but still smoothly places a Bang-8. No flinch!  *Over leaping LB and with 3 other defenders converging. He’s got the stuff. 

13:31 3Q - exceptional anticipation on deep shot (42 yards in air as getting clocked by Kennard (beat Campbell bad) and drops it in perfectly). 

Q4 MISTAKES:

6:30 4Q - Horrible decision and throw. PICK-6 called back!!! That would have cost LSU the game!!  

1:56 4Q - rolls right, throws back over middle into heavy traffic! Can’t make this decision on 3rd-and-goal down 4 points with 1:56 remaining 4Q! Gets away with it but terrible decision. Careless. 

UCLA

15:00 1Q - Good energy on ball (intermediate) — Off-balance, flicks wrist on a line with energy 23 yards

14:19 2Q - Exceptional placement, 47 yards right rail. Arm’s good, not elite. Almost always on time!

Ole Miss

6:42 2Q - ***NFL stuff here!  Climb, eyes, slide w/ sudden feet, ball’s on target. 

9:23 3Q - Just watch tight copy behind his helmet… how fast he gets from 2 to 3, and then layers it beautifully in-stride. 

MISTAKES WHEN PRESSING LATE-GAME 

11:02 4Q - Terrible decision throwing INT double cvg. another 4Q pressing example. (Down 4 pts w/ 11 min remaining)

6:56 4Q - hangs on ball too long, strip sack!  (Gives Ole Miss the ball deep in LSU territory, leading to FG… 23-16 now)

***But then he drives them down the field in WILD fashion for game-tying TD…. Including:

1:49 4Q - 3rd and 10 scramble and throw to Mason Taylor was magic. 

0:32 4Q - SLIDING LT, BALL IS OUT (back over middle) BEFORE WR BREAKS, DRILLS STRIKE to skinny post… SIX!   THIS F*%#ING THROW IN THIS MOMENT!

LSU FIRST PLAY OT (trailing 26-23) - Then walk-off TD THROW (IDs mismatch with DBs back turned) in OT (win 29-26)

Arkansas 

(***I can’t read scoreboard for time stamps - glare). He was sloppy early (right after Ole Miss boarder-state rivalry OT). But he heats up late (and WRs wake up too)

Texas A&M

4:05 1Q - First, the instinct to make THIS throw, rather than line drive. Nuss sees DB10 took false step inside on PA-Fake, so he knows DB10 can’t get back in play if he “drops it in back-corner EZ bucket”. 

Then, the touch!  Ball’s out when MT is on 4 yard-line and leads MT 8 yds into back-corner EZ. DB10 has NO shot!

***8:50 3Q - Infamous “feeling himself” play we’ve talked about on show (leading 17-7). Just a bad decision leading to INT. A&M makes QB change and outscores LSU 31-6 in final 23 minutes. Never know when a bad decision will spark an opponent. He’ll learn from this moment. 

6:01 3Q - Bad miss rolling RT. ***First time I’ve seen him truly rattled all season.

Alabama

10:54 2Q - really nice touch down seam to MT w/ 4 defenders boxing him. 

9:56 2Q - climbs fast, base isn’t under him, pretty bad overthrow to sail route (INT dropped by CB). Got away with one. 

3:37 3Q- Clunky bailing left. Strip sack (again. Pattern?). 

10:15 3Q - scrambles RT then rolls LT. Nice 30-yd throw rolling left. ***Note: can sense he’s shaking off rough first half a clawing to get team back in this game (trailing 21-6). 

***But then moments later throw INT (doesn’t see LB squatting at goal-line). Touchback. ALA scores. LSU gets ball back 28-6!  Huge turn of events.  Wind up getting blown out. 

Florida

— In rhythm early with intermediate game 

7:45 2Q - Special throw!  Climbs, pumps, feet tangled, still layers ball over DB and away from late-arriving safety. TD

13:15 3Q - Another strip-sack. 

***Had moments but his confidence and command were not the same the last 2.5 games since that Q3 INT vs A&M. No run game also wore on him and the OL. 

BUT led team to three straight wins to finish season and played great in final 2 - OKL (only missed six plays after another strip-sack and what looked like ugly shoulder INJ), and then MVP bowl game vs Baylor. 

Oklahoma

6:58 3Q - deep post on-time, leads WR to six!

Baylor 

— He looks like he has legs, arm and confidence fully back. Carrying an offense with no run game clearly took toll during 2nd half of season. 

8:44 1Q - back EZ throw over LB b/t two DBs. Layer/placement!

12:50 2Q - ***Tendency to bail LT continues!  But escapes rush and somehow hits WR in bounds (despite completely off/balance throw)

12:18 2Q - then follows it up with perfectly placed deep ball (RT rail) for six. 

9:10 3Q - absolute beauty. Balls out on time, leads WR down the seam (over 2 defenders converging, and under two safeties that can’t get there in time). Winds up fumbled by WR1. 

4:41 3Q - BAD INT. DOESN’T SEE UNDERNEATH LB. First critical error in game. 

BUT BOUNCES BACK WELL ENOUGH. 44-31 win.