Jan. 29, 2026, 5:31 a.m. ET
Former LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier has every reason to resent Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels. Nussmeier was a rising redshirt freshman quarterback entering the 2022 season when Daniels transferred to Baton Rouge after three years at Arizona State.
Daniels immediately won the starting job and had a terrific debut season. With one year of eligibility remaining, Daniels returned in 2023 and had one of the best individual quarterback seasons in college football history. Meanwhile, Nussmeier sat patiently behind Daniels, waiting for his turn.
Daniels would go No. 2 overall to the Commanders in the 2024 NFL Draft, while Nussmeier would finally ascend to the starting position at LSU. He would start all 13 games in 2024, completing 64% of his passes for 4,043 yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Like Daniels, Nussmeier chose to return to college for one final season, hoping to improve his draft stock.
Unfortunately, things do not go as smoothly for Nussmeier as they did for Daniels. He was benched after nine starts in 2025, although he was battling an injury. Nussmeier was booed by LSU fans at times.
Now, Nussmeier is looking ahead to the 2026 NFL Draft. He’s in Mobile, Alabama, this week for the Senior Bowl. And after competing with him for two years, Nussmeier looked back on his time with Daniels fondly.
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“That experience with Jayden was hard for me to learn because our play styles are very different,” Nussmeier said this week in Mobile. “I would like to say I could run like him, but obviously not, you know, he can do some special things with the ball in his hands. When I was behind Jayden, I had to learn from him in different ways. I couldn’t just necessarily watch him pull outside zone and take off 65 yards for a touchdown and say, ‘Alright, I’m going to go do that.’ That wasn’t really my game, so there are obviously some things within his game I could learn as well. Obviously, he is a great passer and things like that as well. The most I learned from Jayden was more off the field. Just how he interacted with his teammates, the way he went about his business, how he studied, how he prepared. Things like that are where Jayden helped me the most. So, I’m thankful for my time behind him.”
That’s not the first time we’ve heard Daniels described as an outstanding and supportive teammate. As Nussmeier prepares for the most important three months of his football career to this point, it’s good to know he has the support of someone who went through it just two years ago.