Lonn Phillips Sullivan
Aug 16, 20222 min
By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
In the wake of Myles Brennan's Monday transfer, the race is on between LSU Odyssey's expected top contenders, Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier, backed by a strong 3rd option in freshman Walker Howard.
Following a week of fall camp practices where Jayden Daniels assumed control of starting reps, Myles Brennan battled for his LSU life, as Garrett Nussmeier remained limited through a small ankle injury, the competition at QB was still on.
Now after Myles' sudden departure & retirement, it's a two man race, and you'd have to think: Daniels is likely the favorite.
Despite his recent display of intermediary passing improvement, I'm still yet to be fully convinced by his arm at this point. Regardless of my misgivings, there are many extreme stereotypes attached to his passing prowess, with a large contingent of LSU fans considering Daniels to be a run-first QB incapable of making big plays through the air.
Leading the Pac 12 in completion percentage last season (65.4) and continuing in that vein during Fall Camp (solid situational touchdown throws to Kole Taylor. Kyren Lacy and Kayshon Boutte), I actually believe Daniels' detractors are going overboard.
Right now, when you watch how he interacts with teammates and specifically how they look at him, Daniels is carrying himself like a #1 quarterback...and his teammates are beginning to believe it.
On the other side of the coin, while Nussmeier may be banged up, he won't be backing down or calling it quits; Luckily his injury isn't severe, however it's never a positive when you lose valuable fall camp reps during a competition such as this.
Nevertheless, Nussmeier's condition improved at the start of this week, enough for the red shirt freshman to participate in drills without any limitations and looking sharp through every scenario.
Last week, Kelly even remarked "Nussmeier would have taken as many first team reps" as Daniels, proving the top two would have to be Nuss & Jayden at that point, a message made even more clear to Myles over the weekend.
Starting this week, it'll be an epic duel between Nussmeier and Daniels; a pair of exciting, multi-faceted, dual threat quarterbacks working with plenty of potential, confidence and just enough pressure to keep the fires lit.
Separation will have to arrive during the Tigers' upcoming scrimmages, specifically this Wednesday; But for QBs Coach Joe Sloan and Head Coach Brian Kelly, the departure of Brennan will make the playcalling more streamlined and their jobs a lot easier.
As for information (like I didn't just supply enough), I'm told by sources within LSU's program that Jayden Daniels is leading the way right now, but Nussmeier could flip that script at any time.
These coaches trust both quarterbacks, yet after speaking with as many people as possible surrounding the situation, I have a keen sense 2022 LSU is starting to feel like Jayden Daniels' team.
By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
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