Who will be LSU’s starting QB in the ReliaQuest Bowl vs Wisconsin? Exploring Tigers’ QB depth chart in the absence of Jayden Daniels

On Monday, the Heisman winner LSU's Jayden Daniels announced through social media that he opted out of the Tigers' ReliaQuest Bowl game against Wisconsin and plans to enter the NFL Draft.

He recorded 3812 passing yards and 40 touchdowns, and 1,134 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns during this regular season, beating Washington's Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon's Bo Nix for the coveted individual award.

This left the question of who will be the starter for the LSU Tigers when they face the Wisconsin Badgers in January for the ReliaQuest Bowl. The obvious answer would appear to be Garrett Nussmeier, Daniels' backup throughout the season and who some believe could be next year's starter.

Who is LSU's Garrett Nussmeier?

Nussmeir was a four-star recruit for the LSU Tigers in 2021 when he decided on the Baton Rogue school over options like Washington State, Texas, Texas A&M, and Baylor. He was considered one of the top Texas quarterback prospects at the time.

He redshirted in his first season, playing four games. The school petitioned that he be allowed to play in the 2022 Texas Bowl without losing his redshirt status, but the NCAA denied the request.

He competed with Jayden Daniels for the starting position in his redshirt freshman season, but the Arizona State transfer ultimately won. That year, he had his highest season yardage, recording 800 passing yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions.

In 2023, he played far less, only netting 196 yards and one touchdown.

LSU QB depth chart

• Garrett Nussmeier-Sophomore (R)
• Rickie Collins- Freshman

Jayden Daniels' farewell message to the Tigers

The 2023 Heisman winner posted a farewell video message to his socials. In the video, Daniels said the following to the Tigers fanbase:

"I want to say thank you to everyone who made this happen, but all great things must come to an end. I feel better about the state of the program with the quarterback moving forward. No matter what, I promise this will not be the last time y'all see That Kid around, because this is my city and my second home."