LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier Returns To Practice After Suffering Minor Knee Injury

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier was back on the field after suffering a minor knee injury. Tigers fans got a bit of a scare when Nussmeier left after a defensive lineman’s knee brace clipped his leg. As a precaution, Nussmeier sat out the last few periods of practice, but he was back on the field throwing passes just two days later. According to 247Sports, LSU coach Brian Kelly said Nussmeier suffered tendinitis in his patellar tendon, and he expects the quarterback to be a full go for Saturday’s practice.

“Tomorrow he’ll be out in most likely a practice situation. … On a scale of 1-10, it’s like a 1.5,” Kelly said.

Getting Nussmeier back quickly is great news for LSU. The Tigers, a team with College Football Playoff ambitions, will need him as they prepare for a marquee matchup against Clemson in Week 1.

Nussmeier is the nation’s top returning passer, as he finished fifth in the FBS last season with 4,052 yards through the air and tied for 10th nationally with 29 touchdowns. He spurned the 2025 NFL Draft to return for a fifth season with the Tigers.

“I didn’t want to watch anybody else to be the guy that leads LSU to a national championship,” Nussmeier said in an interview with the SEC Network. “LSU means the world to me. Louisiana means the world to me. Also, my faith helped me so much throughout that decision process. I feel like it was the same reason why I stayed when everybody was trying to tell me to leave and transfer.

“God brought me to LSU for a reason. I always wanted to win a national championship here. It wasn’t about winning a Heisman or being the first overall pick. It was just about winning championships, so having that opportunity, I just couldn’t pass it up.”

Nussmeier, a former four-star prospect out of Flower Mound, Texas’ Marcus High School, signed with LSU in 2021 and spent the first three years of his career as a backup behind the likes of Max Johnson and Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels.