Garrett Nussmeier, the famed son of NFL coach Doug Nussmeier, waited too long for his break. He lurked behind the shadows of Jayden Daniels and learned the craft, waiting to pounce on the opportunity to be the QB1. It finally came in the 2024 season, and boy, did he show what he can do. Notching up more than 4,000 yards and orchestrating 29 touchdowns, he took the best of Jayden Daniels and improvised in his own craft.

He probably couldn’t reach the same levels Jayden did when he won the Heisman Trophy. But that was his second season at LSU. And guess what? Nussmeier is now coming back to his second and last season at LSU (as a starter) in 2025. Surely, the stars have aligned for him now, and the prophecies have already proclaimed him to reach the skies, right? Except there’s a catch.

There is no doubt in Garret Nussmeier’s abilities, and he is expected to exceed his performances in 2025. But the backup QB room at LSU doesn’t look that promising and is filled with freshman and redshirt quarterbacks who haven’t seen any snaps yet. Take, for example, the case of Colin Hurley. The guy hasn’t seen a single snap in his freshman year. Michael Van Buren Jr., the recent transfer addition for Mississippi State, is experienced. Still, Brian Kelly is not too satisfied with his QBs, as he added another one in an unexpected turn of events.

Brian Kelly has just turned his redshirt freshman defensive back Ja’ Juan Johnson into a quarterback, and it’s looking quite promising, too. Locked on LSU podcast host, Matt Moscona provided how the position change could be a game changer for Brian Kelly and LSU.

“Brian Kelly tells Wilson Alexander (journalist) that after the season, they sat down with Ja’ Juan Johnson and said what do you want to play? Of course, he played quarterback in high school. He came to LSU as a cornerback in fall camp and was working at the star position when John Emery Jr. got hurt. He moved to running back, scored a touchdown in his first game at running back, played in all 13 games, played a ton of special teams for LSU, and just played all over the field. So Brian Kelly says okay, kid, where do you want to play? I want to give the quarterback a shot, is what Johnson told Brian Kelly; okay, the timing works. Here’s the interesting part: Brian Kelly said they agreed to let Johnson develop as a quarterback, and they may install a package for a dual-threat quarterback to compliment Garrett.” But the question now is: how feasible is this plan?

Well, it can be a make-or-break moment for Brian Kelly’s fortunes. This is because Johnson is someone who had primarily played as a QB in high school. And he was quite remarkable too in doing that. His 10,745 cumulative yards and 117 TD passes speak for themselves. This also includes his rushing stats, which were almost 3,711 yards in his high school career. Surely, the QB has a lot to offer Garrett Nussmeier in terms of rushing prowess, considering Garrett has mainly been deployed in passing offense. The news is quite good for another reason, too, and here’s why.

Colin Hurley’s absence would hurt LSU?

LSU’s freshman QB Colin Hurley had recently suffered a tragic car accident in which he was injured quite badly. So much so that he was found ‘unresponsive’ by the LSU Police in Baton Rouge. The crash happened at the university gate as Hurley was driving his Dodge Charger. Hurley’s condition since then has been quite stable, and he is recovering well. However, it is still not known if he will be available for spring practice. Brian Kelly also said the same.

“I’ve been there to see him on multiple occasions,” Kelly said. “He’s back in Jacksonville. I talked to his dad yesterday, and it’s really positive. There’s a recovery process there for him.” Kelly emphasized that there is no exact time on which Hurley will return, as he is just 17 years old and left all that to his parents. The verdict?

Since Hurley is unlikely to join initially, they would have needed a QB to lead practice drills in both offensive and defensive units. The addition of Johnson to the QB department will provide just that. Furthermore, who knows, maybe he can translate his high school success to his LSU team.