Massive Update on LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier Revealed Ahead of 2026 NFL Draft

LSU Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier navigated a rollercoaster 2025 season in Baton Rouge after suffering an unspecified injury during Fall Camp.

Entering his senior campaign in the purple and gold, Nussmeier was a co-betting favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft, but the preseason buzz quickly dwindled after lackluster play.

Nussmeier - while dealing with the unspecified injury - completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 1,927 yards with 12 touchdowns and five interceptions in nine games.

Across the 2025 season, there remained more questions than answers surrounding Nussmeier. What was the root of the injury? Was it an oblique injury as reported?

Nussmeier was transparent during Senior Bowl preparation surrounding the injury and where he stood from a health perspective.

LSU Tigers Football. — Jan 28, 2026; Mobile, AL, USA; American Team quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (13) of LSU throws the ball during American Senior Bowl practice at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

“It was rough,” Nussmeier said. “It was obviously a very hindering deal for a quarterback. Without getting too specific with everything that went on, it didn’t matter the distance of the throw. It was a lot of pain throwing the football. This happened day two of fall camp early in the season. It was kind of a yearly deal.”

“Didn’t figure out what it truly was until about two months ago now,” Nussmeier said in March. “Only had about nine days to prepare for the Senior Bowl and get right for that. Just been retraining, trying to learn how to throw again from the ground up and get that back right."

Now, the root of the injury has been revealed via NFL Network's Tom Pelissero with NFL Draft week now arriving.

“Garrett Nussmeier underwent tests at the NFL combine that revealed a cyst on his spine — the root cause of the persistent oblique pain that derailed his 2025 season, sources say,” Pelissero wrote on X. “The cyst was pressing on a nerve, causing discomfort in Nussmeier’s oblique.

“He has been asymptomatic since just prior to the Senior Bowl and all throughout the draft process; if that changes down the road, Nussmeier could undergo a minimally invasive procedure and miss just 2-3 weeks while stitches heal.

"Either way, doctors say, there is no short- or long-term risk for Nussmeier, who is projected a mid-round pick in this week’s NFL Draft.“

Former LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier underwent tests at the NFL combine that revealed a cyst on his spine — the root cause of the persistent oblique pain that derailed his 2025 season, sources say.

The cyst was pressing on a nerve, causing discomfort in Nussmeier’s oblique. He has… pic.twitter.com/vG7iXFsleE
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 20, 2026

Nussmeier continues battling for the QB3 spot in the 2026 NFL Draft with Indiana's Fernando Mendoza and Alabama signal-caller Ty Simpson the presumed top two quarterbacks in this year's draft.

Now, with an explanation revealed on what went wrong for Nussmeier's 2025 season, all eyes remain on his position heading into this week's 2026 NFL Draft.

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