LSU coach Brian Kelly saw what a Heisman winner looks like two years ago with Jayden Daniels and has another prime candidate in Garrett Nussmeier ahead of the 2025 season. So his opinion to scale back the hype train on Texas quarterback Arch Manning is predictable, if not, expected.
After all, Manning’s lone collegiate starts came against ULM and Mississippi State last fall.
“Look, we hear it every day because [Manning is] from Louisiana. … And listen, there’s another guy that hears it all the time and that’s Garrett Nussmeier,” Kelly said during an appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay Podcast. “He’s committed, and more than anything else, he’s experienced. And in this league, you need to see the bullets flying.”
Manning (+700) and Nussmeier (+800) are the Heisman frontrunners this season at FanDuel Sportsbook for similar reasons — both are front-facing talents within top-15 programs expected to compete for spots in the national title conversation.
The two signal-callers seize the spotlight during opening weekend as Nussmeier and the Tigers have a marquee opener at Clemson, while Manning’s Longhorns battle defending national champion Ohio State on the road.
“Now, Manning is extremely talented, but he’s got to go do it,” Kelly said. “And there’s going to be a couple of days where it doesn’t come out the way it’s supposed to. How do you bounce back, how do you come back from that? How does it work the next week in your gameplan? So there’s a lot out there.
“I can see the assessment of Manning, he’s an outstanding player. But I’ll take the guy that’s been in the SEC and seen what it looks like.”
It’s hard to argue with Kelly’s point, and there are facts behind his reasoning.
Nussmeier led a pair of second-half comebacks to topple nationally ranked competition last season, including a 13-play, 75-yard march against Ole Miss in the fourth quarter that featured a pair of fourth-down conversions. The Tigers won that matchup in overtime after Nussmeier completed a 25-yard pass to Kyren Lacy for the clinching score.
Manning threw for 939 yards and nine touchdowns with two interceptions as a redshirt freshman in spot duty behind Quinn Ewers. Both of Manning’s starts came with Ewers on the mend, and the only snaps he saw down the stretch over the SEC Championship Game and three College Football Playoff games were in rare rush-only situations.
Nussmeier, who’s projected to go No. 1 overall in next year’s NFL Draft according to CBS Sports’ latest mock, has considerably more college experience as a returning starter and is someone who’s been around the LSU program since 2021.
Nussmeier finished with 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns last fall but was one of the SEC’s leaders in interceptions (12). The Tigers surrounded their returning signal-caller with ample talent from the transfer portal during the 2025 cycle with the nation’s top-rated class.
Offense will not be the Tigers’ only expected strength this season. A source closed to the program told CBS Sports last month that LSU’s defensive depth, a notable weakness thus far Kelly’s tenure, is finally up to par with other elites around the country.
The only way Kelly will see Manning up close is if the Tigers and Longhorns meet in Atlanta for the SEC crown in December, or if the two teams reach the College Football Playoff.
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