Lonn Phillips Sullivan
Feb 4, 20224 min
by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
Looking at LSU's 2021 QB transformation from the Spring Game compared to LSU's Texas Bowl defeat vs Kansas State, the Tigers lost 3 of their 4 QBs, TJ Finley left for Auburn back in the summer holding some starter experience, unlucky Myles Brennan finally gave up on his 5 1/2 year ride at LSU, and 2021 starter Max Johnson unthinkably transferred to A&M.......leaving only freshman Garrett Nussmeier & walk on QBs Matt O'Dowd (who would also be unavailable after an ankle injury) & Taivion Faulk as their final remaining QBs....
Eventually, with Nussmeier refusing to burn his red shirt, LSU's interim Head Coach Brad Davis asked WR Jontre Kirklin to step in to the role he once had at Lutcher High....back in 2016....
It was unlike anything we've ever seen in modern college football, a once powerhouse squad now so depleted & reduced to a shell that LSU needed one of their most inconsistent WRs to start and play four quarters at QB against a power 5 defense during a nationally televised bowl game.....
Madness....
How the hell did LSU get to that point?
A position where two, nearly three former Tiger starters left the program to play for an inner conference / inner division rival: Max Johnson to A&M, T.J Finley to Auburn and Myles almost departing for Arkansas or out of the SEC with Nebraska.
Now, as we're all in the thick of Brian Kelly's first campaign under the purple & gold headset, LSU have reinforcements, starting nowhere else but the former Notre Dame chieftain's ability to sway Brennan out of the portal.
Of course, upcoming sophomore Garrett Nussmeier displayed strong potential and unique play extending prowess, then freshman slinger Walker Howard has all the tools to become a program legend.....yet, retaining wily veteran Myles Brennan (at the outset of a transition season) is a masterstroke.
Myles is a longtime LSU hero who was all but gone until this very author broke the news about Kelly's successful intervention (news that even Fox's Garland Gillen claimed wasn't true "Myles is not coming back to LSU").
Tiger fans have waited for Brennan to explode and go off for "his season" since 2017, however Joe Burrow and a series of injuries on or off the field prevented his purple and gold quest from becoming reality; will the arrival of Brian Kelly, which forced Brennan away at first, turn out to be Myles' 2022 skeleton key?
Kelly sold Myles on a vision, obviously rooted in NIL offers, but could it also be a one year pact to name him LSU's starter, showing these young QBs the way, at least through camp?
Could this turn out to be the worst decision Myles ever made? Returning, likely promised the starting role, only to be booted for one of the young QBs at some later juncture?
Or is Brennan, as his social media account would attest, locked and loaded for a breakout 2022?
Following up his statistically gaudy performances as LSU's 2020 week 1-4 starter, Myles possesses the passing range, though can he escape a collapsing pocket? Can he extend plays for positive gains in the face of brutal pressure?
Can he sustain vicious hits to the abdominal region and keep playing?
On the other hand, can LSU afford to start one of their younger QBs in 2022, directly after the program's first losing season of the 21st century???
Is Kelly such a die hard Walker Howard fan that he's willing to ignite the Walker Era right now, beginning with his freshman season, much like Caleb Williams-Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma?
Where will Nussmeier fall among Kelly and QB Coach Joe Sloan's pecking order?
Our boots on the ground info tell us these few factors are at play:
1. Don't forget: while Walker Howard is a freshman, he's also starting his Tigers career injured, recovering from a reaggravation of his lower leg injury, both suffered this past winter battling for St Thomas More.
Kelly is such a fan of Walker, he may actually be wanting to hold him over for a season in the best interests of the young man, preserving Walker both physically and psychologically as he adjusts to life as a next level quarterback.
2. Garrett Nussmeier's unwillingness to burn his red shirt for the Texas Bowl didn't bruise Brian Kelly's ego, however the manner in which Nussmeier & his family went back and forth on "wanting to play vs Bama", "not caring about a red shirt" tough talk, which was aired publicly by LSU's then-embattled former Head Coach Ed Orgeron, rubbed some of LSU's new staff the wrong way.
Regardless, there's been discussions about Nuss sharing first team reps this spring. LSU's staff are fond of the Flower Mound, Texas native, loving his arm strength and fearlessness.
Concerning the red shirt, all parties are moving on, yet Kelly will remember that little detail going forward, I'm told....harsh or not...
3. The reality of Myles Brennan's prominent, ecstatic return to LSU, only a month after entering his name into the portal, is rooted in assurances.....not only is this common knowledge behind the scenes of Myles' return, it's the only reason which made him leave LSU in the first place.....
He needed a more or less guaranteed starting job for his final collegiate season.....one that is so inherently necessary if the 2020 LSU starter has future NFL aspirations.
Fielding offers from Nebraska, Arkansas, the two Mississippi schools, as well as Auburn, Brennan wouldn't come back to LSU unless two things happened....one: a quarterback left the program & two: if he was given assurances.
Both happened within a week, Max Johnson taking off for A&M while Kelly went mad dawg Murtaugh on the hunt, making sure #15 remained in purple and gold.
Does this mean Myles Brennan will grab the starting spot, without question, doubt or challenge?
I'm told Brennan is slated to be LSU's 2022 starter as of now, news which may or may not surprise you....
I hope LSU does not go down this road of guaranteed jobs, because this script didn't work out too well in 2020....Myles must be pushed by Howard and Nussmeier or we'll never see his optimum as a Tiger.
By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
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