Future of the LSU QB Room in Good Hands

Brian Kelly and the Tigers have exceeded expectations in Year 1, but continuing to prepare this squad for the future has been clear. In recruitment, this staff has gone above and beyond, reeling in a Top 5 class in the 2023 cycle while landing their quarterbacks of the future.

With such a deep room of signal-callers currently, the rich will only get richer in this case. As freshman Walker Howard continues to develop, while LSU has already landed a commitment from 4-star Louisiana native Rickie Collins, this quarterback room is stocked for the future.

Here we took a look at the future of the LSU QB room:

Walker Howard - Freshman

The five-star quarterback out of Lafayette reaffirmed his commitment to the Tigers once Brian Kelly came to town, making him the highest rated offensive prospect in the 2022 class, and he made an impression quickly.

Despite LSU having Jayden Daniels as their QB1 in 2022, Howard believes in his work ethic and production on the field, feeling more than capable of stepping in and producing for this team.

“I would say every day that he is with us, there's more knowledge because I'm in the meetings with the quarterbacks. He has a great football knowledge. He is mentally strong. He believes he is better than every quarterback we have, which is awesome. I love that,” Kelly said. “I don't mean that in any way other than he just has that kind of make-up, which is what you want. He respects everybody in the room. But, yeah, he continues to develop, and we have a good feeling about him.”

An early enrollee in the spring, Howard sat behind Daniels, Brennan and Garrett Nussmeier while he learned the ropes. Clearly Brennan elected to hang up his cleats, but for Howard to have some time to soak in the knowledge of a quarterback like Brennan, who has been around for quite some time, is crucial.

For now, Howard will continue to develop his game both on the field and in the film room as he grows as a quarterback, but the Tigers certainly have a signal-caller more than capable to step up in the future.

Garrett Nussmeier - Redshirt Freshman

The redshirt freshman played sparingly in 2021, earning significant playing time in one outing, what turned out to be a loss to Arkansas. In that game and throughout his first year in Baton Rouge, Nussmeier showed flashes of the kind of player LSU hopes will develop into a star caliber talent.

LSU fans that followed the Tigers heard stories of how Nussmeier could fling the football but what's confusing for him is that hasn't always been his M.O. Nussmeier has always viewed himself as a game manager because that's how he was taught the position by his father, longtime quarterbacks coach who is currently with the Dallas Cowboys.

"I think I've learned a lot from last year, getting to play in some real SEC time. I think the biggest thing for me was kind of being more of a manager of an offense," Nussmeier said. "For some reason I got this gunslinger approach. I take some shots but I can't look to do that every play so that's what I've learned, just move the sticks."

Rickie Collins - 2023 Commit

Collins chose LSU over Florida State and Purdue, among others. The Louisiana product will now join a program who certainly has their fair share of signal-callers, adding a different element to a variety of skill sets.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder has been a high-priority target for the Tigers over the last couple of months, with the Tigers looking to keep him close to home. Collins received significant buzz on social media the last few months with this LSU program starting the hashtag trend #RickieReconsidered.

Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock has shown in the past he likes to utilize his quarterbacks mobility, with Collins fitting into his playbook like a glove.

Colin Hurley - 2024 Commit

The No. 2 signal-caller in the 2025 class will reclassify into the 2024 cycle and head to Baton Rouge a year early, a huge recruiting win for this LSU program.

The 6-foot, 212-pounder has all the tools to compete in the SEC with the developmental skills this coaching staff attains. Kelly has been working to develop relationships early in the 2024 and 2025 cycles, clearly making an impression on Hurley over a short period of time.

LSU | 4⭐️ QB Commit@LSUfootball💜💛#PathToTheBoot✌🏾 pic.twitter.com/V9x8U4VMwM
— ColinHurley (@ColinHurley) November 6, 2022

A two time state champion, Hurley started for Trinity Christian as an eighth grader and led the team to a state championship. In 2021, he did it again as a freshman, this time earning accolades including FL High School Class 2A Overall Player of the Year.

He's been clocked at throwing a ball 61 mph. As a comparison, Patrick Mahomes tied the NFL Combine record in 2017 by throwing a ball 60 mph. The physical traits on Hurley are astounding at 6-foot-1, 213 pounds and already running a 4.8 40-yard dash with the arm strength and accuracy of a readymade college quarterback.