By Hunt Palmer
This time last year, LSU was replacing the Heisman winner and his offensive coordinator. Quarterback was a question mark. Twelve months later, the Tigers return the most productive passer in college football.
What a difference a year makes.
Joe Sloan and Garrett Nussmeier have a year of experience in their roles now, and LSU’s lofty expectations lean on their abilities pretty heavily in 2025. The offensive line is a question mark. The bevvy of talent at wide out, tight end and running back are encouraging. The quarterback and offensive coordinator have to make it all go.
Last season, for the most part, it did.
LSU scored 30 points per game and threw the ball about as efficiently as anyone in the country. The second half at Texas A&M was awful. So was the rainy night Alabama visited Tiger Stadium. Statistically, the game at Florida wasn’t awful, it just wasn’t productive enough on the scoreboard. Six sacks will do that.
But LSU’s passing game performed about as well as could have been expected, and now those expectations have ramped up because of the weapons at Nussmeier’s despisal this time around.
WHO’S GONE:
- A.J. Swann (Transfer: Appalachian State)
- Rickie Collins (Transfer: Syracuse)
WHO’S BACK:
- Garrett Nussmeier (6’1”, 205, 5-Sr)
- Collin Hurley (6’1”, 218, R-Fr)
- Ju’Juan Johnson (6’0”, 210, Soph)
WHO’S NEW:
- Michael Van Buren (6’0”, 190, Soph, Mississippi State)
WHAT WE KNOW
Nussmeier is more than a gun-slinging backup with real potential. He’s a proven commodity as an SEC starter. He is the second LSU quarterback all-time to eclipse the 4,000 yard mark in a season, and he’s the top returning passer in the country. Only three other players (Will Rogers, Chad Kelly, Bryce Young) in SEC history have returned to school after a 4,000-yard season
Nussmeier led the SEC in completions last year and threw for 300 yards eight times. He’s engineered three come-from-behind win (Wisconsin, Ole Miss, South Carolina) and has the arm talent to make every throw.
Pro Football Focus graded him an outstanding 81.3 in the passing game last year and credited him with 26 “Big Time Throws”. That was seventh in the country.
He also has to take better care of the ball.
Here is every Garrett Nussmeier interception this season (plus 1 that was called back for penalty).
What do you notice in the 9 official giveaways this season? pic.twitter.com/wKngxFGV44
— Joe Gaither (@JoeGaither6) November 8, 2024
The three interceptions at Texas A&M were back breakers, and Nussmeier knows it. He told Matt Moscona at SEC Media Days that he’s watched the first interception “1,000 times”. He admitted that as an “anticipation thrower” he’s going to throw some interceptions, but the unforced bad decisions have to be the first thing cleaned up this fall.
He also made a bad read in the red zone against Alabama that took points off the board in what became a lopsided loss.
Nussmeier will be compared to Joe Burrow and Jaden Daniels because they’re the last two fifth-year quarterbacks at LSU. Burrow threw for 60 touchdowns, and Daniels ran for over 1,000 yards. Those are nearly unreachable baselines. Nussmeier does have the ability to be among the most productive passers in the country. That’s an encouraging spot for LSU to begin the season in.
Michael Van Buren was thrust into a brutal spot last year. Mississippi State fielded one of the worst defenses in SEC history last year, and Blake Shapen down a month into the season. That meant Van Buren had to pilot the Bulldog offense as a true freshman.
He threw for 300 yards twice, once versus Georgia and once against Arkansas. In a three-game SEC stretch he threw for eight touchdowns—Georgia (3), Texas A&M (3), Arkansas (2). He also ran for five scores showing off his athleticism.
Van Buren was a four-star prospect by ESPN And Rivals. He played in the Under Armour All-American Game. He’s a little bit undersized but has a solid arm and above average athleticism. LSU desperately needed quarterback depth after AJ Swann and Rickie Collins left. Nabbing a young player with an SEC season as the starter under his belt was quite an add.
LSU’s newest quarterback, Michael Van Buren pic.twitter.com/29ByzVGpou
— tik (@twosuh) December 15, 2024
Collin Hurley arrived at LSU as a 16-year-old. He redshirted last year and then was involved in a January single-car crash that left him unresponsive when medics arrived. He went back to the Tampa area to recover in the spring and rejoined the team the final week of spring practice.
Hurley, like Nussmeier and Van Buren, is on the shorter side for a college quarterback, but he has a big arm. He was a top 20 quarterback in his class.
Ju’Juan Johnson is on position No. 3 in his 12 months at LSU. He began his career at Star in the LSU secondary. When John Emery went down, Johnson moved to running back and caught a touchdown pass his first week at the position.
Now he’s moved to quarterback to add some depth and provide a playmaking option. He did that better than anyone in the history of Louisiana prep football, racking up 14,451 yards and 171 touchdowns at Lafayette Christian Academy, both state records.
Johnson is a natural with the ball in his hands and can throw the ball down the field if necessary.
HUNT’S PROJECTION
Nussmeier doesn’t have to be Burrow or Daniels. He needs to be quick, smart and accurate. With the talent LSU has amassed on the outside, Nussmeier should have a field day throwing the ball around. I think he’ll lead the SEC in passing yards because of it.
The only real concern is a big step down in pass protection that creates more pressure and the potential for bad decisions. Those can cost LSU games, and the margin for error trying to make the playoffs is slim.
It’s not news to Sloan and Nussmeier that the offensive line is overhauled, so they’ve had an entire offseason to scheme the quick passing game and a revamped rushing attack. The jump to Burrow or Daniels may be unrealistic, but it’s completely reasonable to expect better play which could be at an All-American level for the fifth-year quarterback.
2:46 of Garrett Nussmeier’s off platform/on the move throws (+ scrambles!) from the 2024 season. pic.twitter.com/gJEMODQ9Cv
— Matthew Brune (@MatthewBrune_) May 21, 2025
Van Buren has proven he can be a serviceable backup player. The offense would change a little bit if Van Buren came in. More emphasis would be on the running game, and Van Buren would be a bigger part of that. But Nussmeier is the guy LSU needs to pilot the ship.
Johnson will likely come into the game in special packages to use misdirection in the running game. He’s wildly explosive with the ball. It could be on short yardage downs. Maybe in the two-point conversion game. He’s a weapon.
Ultimately, LSU may have the best passer in the country. That’s a good start to a team with championship aspirations.
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