LSU Football Non-Committal on Future Quarterback Amid Garrett Nussmeier Benching

The LSU Tigers suffered the program's fourth SEC loss of the season on Saturday night after falling 20-9 to No. 4 Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

In another challenging night at the office for the Bayou Bengals, the talk of the town will be interim coach Frank Wilson pulling the trigger and benching starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier.

On the second drive of the third quarter, Wilson and the LSU staff replaced Nussmeier with Mississippi State transfer Michael Van Buren - a move that has been on the fence for the last handful of weeks.

But with Brian Kelly now out of the picture and the Bayou Bengals playing with a "nothing to lose" mentality, the staff tossed in Van Buren.

Nussmeier ended his day going 18-for-21 through the air with 121 passing yards prior to being benched.

LSU Tigers Football: Nussmeier. — Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

From there, it was Van Buren tossed in the game with the Tigers trailing 17-6 with 6:26 remaining in the third quarter.

The first-year Tiger went 5-for-11 with 52 passing yards and a fumble lost on the night to go with one rushing yard on six attempts.

Now, the question that looms moving into next weeks matchup against the Arkansas Razorbacks: Is there a quarterback competition? Has the baton officially been passed the Van Buren?

“As we discussed as a staff, we knew there could opportunities in the quarterback run game and then at the back end as they tried to bring closure to it, they would make it difficult to just sit in the pocket," Wilson said.

"We wanted to move them around and do some things and we thought he gave us a chance to do those things so that went into the thought of it."

Wilson detailed that he hasn't yet thought about the future of the quarterback room moving forward yet - leaving the door open on a potential quarterback battle heading into practice this upcoming week.

“I thought he was solid,” Wilson added of Van Buren. “There was some things that were obvious: pushing the pocket, stepping up, delivering passes escaping, extended plays and picking up first downs with his legs.

"I’d like him to have two hands on the ball in the pocket so we don’t get that last one swatted away, but I thought he did a good job.”

Frank Wilson III says he's proud of the way Garrett Nussmeier handled the change and continued to support Michael Van Buren Jr. and the rest of his teammates.

"He was a great teammate. He was supportive of his teammate. He stayed engaged."

Says he hasn't thought about the QB…
— Jerit Roser (@JeritRoser) November 9, 2025

The LSU Tigers have three games remaining with matchups against the Arkansas Razorbacks, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, and Oklahoma Sooners up next on the docket.

But the state of the quarterback room will be fascinating to watch unfold with Nussmeier working through his final season of eligibility while Van Buren is navigating his true sophomore campaign.

LSU will take on the Arkansas Razorbacks next Saturday in Death Valley with kickoff set for 11:45 a.m. CT.

More LSU News:

Elite LSU Football Commit Reaffirms Pledge Despite Ohio State, Ole Miss Pushing

Five Players LSU Football Must Keep After Brian Kelly's Firing, Including DJ Pickett

ESPN Insider Labels Lane Kiffin 'Top Target' for LSU Football, Florida Gators

Join the Community:

Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers On SI: @LSUTigersSI for all coverage surrounding the LSU Tigers.