How Myles Brennan Changes the Landscape of LSU's QB Room for 2022

Before Monday Myles Brennan had no intentions of ever suiting up in an LSU uniform again. But one phone call from Brian Kelly and the senior quarterback is ready for one last chapter in Death Valley and puts the quarterback position in as good a spot that can be expected heading into 2022.

The future of this quarterback room is beginning to shape up. With Brennan back to claim the throne he had in 2020 before injury and freshman Garrett Nussmeier looking to make a push to be the Tigers QB1 next fall, it’s going to get interesting come spring.

Not to mention early enrollee and five-star quarterback Walker Howard entering the mix. After signing his letter of intent to LSU Wednesday morning, Howard will be suiting up this spring to make this quarterback room even deeper.

Coach Kelly’s track record of developing NFL talent is something that swayed Brennan to return and ultimately played a factor in Howard signing with the Tigers. With no offensive coordinator at the moment, Howard and Brennan both bought into the vision Kelly has for this program.

What happens next fall? Is Brennan going to come in this spring and take QB1 duties right off the bat? Time will tell. The senior quarterback said on Off the Bench Friday that he'll be back with the team in January but confirmed he will not be playing in the bowl game.

He's also close to 100% in his return from a broken arm suffered prior to fall camp of this season and expects to be ready sooner than later.

"I've been working out, conditioning and throwing and that's really what I've focused on the past couple of weeks," Brennan said. "I wanted to come back on a fresh start with him [Kelly] and his coaching staff and his team. I know a lot of people wanted me to play in the bowl game but I haven't practiced or played all year."

It’s been quite the rollercoaster for Brennan’s career. Named the Tigers starter in 2020 before suffering a season ending injury, he showed what he’s capable of, looking to come in and be the starter again in 2021. But before the season could start and going through a quarterback battle with Max Johnson, Brennan suffered a freak injury during a boating incident, ending his season before it could even start.

When healthy, Brennan has proven to be as poised in the pocket as a quarterback can be, dominating his first three starts for the Tigers. The only LSU quarterback in program history to throw for over 300 yards in each of his first three starts and being one of five LSU quarterbacks to throw for over 400 yards in a game, there is a lot to like about what Brennan offers.

Though he only started in three games back in 2020, the LSU offense looked poised to really take off:

LSU’s offense in 2020:

- 5th in passing

- 17th in scoring

- 17th in total offense

Myles Brennan:

- 13th in passer rating

- 4th in TDs

- 3rd in yards per game

- 9th in adjusted completion %

Brennan said he's already had conversations with Kelly about what the offense will look like and his mind was put at ease with what Kelly told him about not yet having an offensive coordinator.

"He pretty much told me this is my offense, I'm coaching it, I'm in the quarterback room everyday," Brennan said. "He said 'I've been doing this for 30 years and can do anything we need to win the game. I base everything around what the quarterback does best, the quarterback and I will have a good relationship, bounce ideas off each other.' When he said that it was like no limitations to this offense and gave me a flashback back to 2019."

But what about Nussmeier? The electrifying gunslinger can do it all, showcasing flashes of what he’s capable of during SEC play. Taking the time to learn under Max Johnson this year, and even getting significant snaps when Johnson was benched, Nussmeier has shown he has next for the Tigers.

There were times where Nussmeier would try to make the highlight reel play instead of making the safe read, but that’s expected with a young quarterback learning from his mistakes. Now with snaps under his belt and time to adjust to the college game, he has the chance to showcase what he’s made of this spring.

What really puts the quarterback situation into a really good spot is Howard, who is willing to take a redshirt year in 2022, if that's what is asked of him, to continue developing his body and game for the rigors of college football.

It’s hard not to wonder what role Howard will play in this quarterback battle. Rarely does a true-freshman step in and take the title of QB1 in the SEC, but Howard has the game to back up his five-star profile. His football IQ is off the charts and thrives in big-game moments, so he could step in and prove his value early.

Kelly recruited Howard to Notre Dame heavily this fall, even getting Howard to come on a visit after Ed Orgeron was fired and so much turmoil was in the air with this LSU program. It’s clear Kelly thinks highly of what Howard brings to the table, so it’s worth mentioning his name in this quarterback room even as just a true-freshman.

Ultimately, it’ll all come down to this upcoming spring to make any calls on who has the edge in the competition, but it brings agood problem to LSU in having three capable quarterbacks to lead this team.

Handling the quarterback situation for Jan. 4th’s bowl game is the first hurdle this staff must jump over, but after that, it’ll get interesting in Death Valley on who is next in line to lead the Tigers back to the LSU standard of football.