Brian Kelly’s QB management has made Tigers a contender

Brian Kelly pulled off his most important recruiting job yet.

Earlier this week, quarterback Garrett Nussmeier passed on the transfer portal’s second window and elected to stay at LSU.

There were never really any reports that suggested Nussmeier could leave. It always appeared LSU was confident he would stay, but speculation about the third-year QB remained.

With programs the size of Alabama and Georgia needing QBs, who would have blamed Nussmeier for exploring his opportunities elsewhere? This is a guy with evident NFL arm talent who could be ready to start right now. If his name appeared in the portal, coaches would be all over it.

Following Walker Howard’s transfer to Ole Miss, LSU couldn’t afford to lose Nussmeier. Looking back on it, Howard’s transfer might have even signaled LSU’s confidence in keeping Nussmeier.

With Howard gone, LSU was down to Jayden Daniels, Nussmeier, and incoming freshman Rickie Collins.

You don’t want to enter a season with just two scholarship QBs, especially when one is a true freshman who has never taken a snap.

But Nussmeier’s return is much more than a depth boost. While it’s likely Daniels keeps his job this fall, nobody can rule out Nussmeier starting or making a significant impact.

While some of LSU’s division rivals scramble to find a QB they like, LSU already has two. It’s hard to ask for much more than that.

Kelly set up LSU to contend for at least two years. Daniels was good last year and projects to be even better in 2023. Nussmeier, while not perfect, showed why coaches are so excited about what he can be.

It’s also worth keeping in mind that Daniels’ health was not perfect last fall. He’s a running QB who takes a lot of hits. He was banged up on multiple occasions and even had to leave the Auburn game.

If Daniels has to leave any games this fall, Nussmeier could enter without the offense missing a beat.

Again, that’s the type of security that’s rare to find in this era. It’s not easy to…