How will LSU's quarterback competition play out? | Staff Perspectives
How will the position battle play out between four scholarship quarterbacks, including two with starting experience?
LSU has kicked off its first spring under new football coach Brian Kelly, with plenty of new faces on both the roster and staff.
Two challenging seasons and so many subsequent changes lend themselves to plenty of questions for the Tigers to try to answer this offseason.
The Tiger Details staff will dive into some of these topics daily to begin the spring session.
And if you're enjoying the perspectives, we can keep the routine going through the spring. And if have a question you'd like us to tackle on a subsequent day, let us know.
All that said, let's kick things off.
For a second straight year, LSU enters spring practice with four scholarship quarterbacks — including multiple with starting experience — and discussion of open competition at the always pivotal and heavily spotlighted position. What's your early read on the always pivotal and heavily spotlighted position, and how do you see that battle playing out?
JERIT ROSER: The fact that LSU coaxed two upperclassman quarterbacks with starting experience and quickly ticking clocks on their college careers out of the transfer and into spring practice competition is both notable and impressive in itself in today's college football climate. Given all the background for Myles Brennan and the seeming foregone conclusion when he pulled his name from the portal that he would finally have his full season at the helm of the purple-and-gold offense, bringing Jayden Daniels is a major message and tone-setter for a new staff trying to shake up the status quo and build its own program culture.
As much as I think Brian Kelly and company do have a level of appreciation for Brennan's situation and respect for him deciding to return, the arrival of a new staff opens the door wider for Daniels than would be the case with an incumbent staff with a longer-standing relationship with Brennan. And the coaches' emphasis on open competition across the board is genuine. One aspect of this battle that I do expect to bear some similarity to last year's is that I expect Kelly to try to allow the competition to continue right through August — the way Ed Orgeron was trying to before Brennan's injury abruptly turned the reins to Max Johnson. That approach would simultaneously further underscore how serious the staff is about keeping competitions open at all positions and lessen the likelihood of someone leaving. And Kelly showed a history at Notre Dame of allowing quarterback battles to continue even into the season. So that depth chart may not only look different from mid-April to mid-August, but even to mid-September or mid-October.
JULIE BOUDWIN: Once Myles Brennan agreed to remove his name from the transfer portal and return to LSU it seemed that the Tigers would be entering spring with a QB battle between Brennan and redshirt freshman Garrett Nussmeier as early enrollee Walker Howard is expected to redshirt, but Brian Kelly had other plans. Enter Jayden Daniels, who really shakes things up for the Tigers QB room. Daniels, like Brennan, has game experience and he’s certainly the more mobile between the two. Kelly said at his press conference that Brennan has transformed his body and is healthy but the former four-star QB has yet to make it through an entire season healthy, and the competition from Daniels will certainly help push Brennan for his last season. But if I’m making an early prediction on the starter this fall, then I’d put my money on Daniels, however, only time will tell.
DAVID FOLSE: I see the quarterback position as a fresh start for everyone involved. Brian Kelly and staff can watch all the game film that they want, but until they see it out on the practice field they have no idea what they truly have. That is why it is so important for all four quarterbacks, including the youngster Walker Howard, to get snaps. What I’m concerned about is there is a limited amount of practices, so will all four quarterbacks get enough reps to show what they are capable of.
In terms of how I see it playing out, I immediately take Howard out of the running. He’s way too young and still recovering from an injury suffered at STM, so I see him taking the redshirt. That leaves Brennan, Nussemeier and newcomer Jayden Daniels. What I can assure you is whomever finishes third in this race won’t be here long after the spring. My gut tells me that Daniels wouldn’t have transferred to LSU if he didn’t think he could be the starter. So I see this as a race between Daniels and Brennan in terms of who will take that first snap against Florida State in the Superdome. That leaves Nussmeier without a chair when the music stops.
