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By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
As I have after every season of full coverage before, LSUOdyssey presents our Top 10 LSU Tigers of 2024 countdown for your enjoyment. We're now at #1.....the final, ultimate Tiger of a trying, exhausting, but rewarding year.
OUR PAST TOP 10s HERE
TOP 10 OF 2024
1 . GARRETT NUSSMEIER
337 COMPLETIONS (1st in SEC)
525 ATTEMPTS (1st in SEC)
4,052 PASSING YARDS
-(2nd in LSU history)
29 PASSING TDs
12 INTs (1st in SEC)
3 RUSHING TDs
To write it as clearly as I possibly could, without Garrett Nussmeier leading the way this fall, LSU would've been on the cusp of becoming bowl ineligible, such was the clear difference & impact Nussmeier made on the Tigers' 2024 season.
Calling the shots without a running game to speak of for significant stretches of the year, relying almost completely upon Nussmeier's right arm to guide LSU to victory, taking snaps from a red shirt freshman center, starting another red shirt freshman at guard @ A&M and vs Alabama, Joe Sloan's offense saddled a heavy amount of pressure, responsibility, and demands on their first year starting quarterback to make nonstop plays....or else.....
Despite the odds stacked against his Year 1 success (the numerous "open season" hits he accepted in the pocket from all angles by his regressing O-line, facing 130 pressures & taking 22 QB hits, the lack of any moment to take a breath due to his delirious number of passing attempts, his underwhelming receiving corps, or LSU's destitute running game), Nussmeier wasn't only ready for primetime, he was willing to take the pressure, the pain, the wins or the losses, the ups & downs, he was ready for all of it....most of all, Nuss would always be there for his team, ready to lead.
Yes, Nussmeier played a role in key moments where LSU's offense fell short or even well wide of the mark, throwing an SEC-high 12 picks as well as turning the ball over 7 times during LSU's nightmarish 3 game losing streak vs A&M, Alabama & Florida (5 interceptions & 2 lost fumbles), however, without Nussmeier, LSU would've been in grave danger of defeat in most of their 13 contests.
In fact, when you go back and study the film, Nussmeier was time and time again LSU's best player, their most valuable, and the orchestrator of all that went right for the Tigers last fall.
.....if #13 had gone down with an injury.....if LSU started a lesser quarterback, someone unable to pass the Tigers to 9 victories....we may be looking at 5 or 6 wins this past fall for Brian Kelly's 3rd season.
Still developing before our eyes and yet showcasing infinite poise, passion, fight, an ability to read defenses that improved at a rapid pace during LSU's final games, while possessing the kind of mentality & work ethic that often supplies historic results in purple & gold, if you're a realistic Tiger fan, you should feel supremely excited about what's ahead from Nuss:
Achieving the second highest single season passing total in program history, topping Jayden Daniels' Heisman-winning 2023 numbers while only bested by Joe Burrow's G.O.A.T 2019 haul, Nussmeier's 4,035 yards powered Brian Kelly's wildly inconsistent LSU Tigers to 9 wins....all as Nuss statistically outperformed both Burrow & Daniels' Year 1 passing numbers by over 1,000 yards (Burrow (2018): 2,894 passing yards, 16 TD passes, 5 INTs; Daniels (2022): 2,913 passing yards, 17 TD passes, 3 INTs).
Completing NFL-level throws with an unconscious swagger and natural born touch, the first year LSU starter kept a cool fearlessness throughout fall 2024, even as the Tigers' offensive structure cracked around him, piling up 8 appearances with 300+ yards, 9 games throwing multiple touchdowns, 10 games tossing 24+ completions, continuously completing passes through impossibly tight windows, airing out downfield long bombs to Chris Hilton Jr, securing critical downs conversions via the reliable Mason Taylor, Aaron Anderson, and CJ Daniels, producing theatrical Barnum & Bailey throws while on the receiving end of some brutally forsaken hits thanks to an injured, inexperienced interior offensive line.
Nussmeier's passing prowess elevated his under-performing receiving corps: fellow Top 10 Tigers Kyren Lacy topping the SEC charts with 9 TD catches, as Aaron Anderson finished inside the conference's top 5 regarding catches & yards....all career high numbers for the pairing.
With Nuss throwing him the ball, #6 on our list of Top 10 Tigers of '24 Mason Taylor went from being known as a great Tiger tight end to being forever immortalized as the greatest tight end in LSU history, posting career numbers in yards & receptions, breaking both program records in each category.
Without the eternally positive Nussmeier cast as the leader for this wayward offense, things could've ended in a much more dysfunctional, careless, and non-competitive fashion. Often times, Nussmeier's brilliance papered over the cracks of a horrendous play call, missed assignment by his offensive line or bad route running from his receivers.
Of course, the former Marcus High legend is growing in confidence, ending his first year on a high, making his presence felt as the face of the program, the locker room leader, and on field general. And though he still has much to prove to his scores of doubters, Nuss carries an intoxicating, driven energy that can't be denied.
No longer a sideline cheerleader, as he graciously became from 2021-2023, Nuss is in the thick of it now, ready for an ultimate senior year in 2025 surrounded by an upgraded receiving room, stronger offensive coaching hires like running game specialist Alex Atkins, yet another year of continuity alongside Offensive Coordinator Joe Sloan and Co-Offensive Coordinator / Passing Game Coordinator Cortez Hankton......
....he has the talent within him, he has the talent around him, the main concern for Nussmeier will be how he & LSU's offense deals with the loss of 4 O-line starters in front.
If the Lake Charles native can maneuver & guide his offensive line into a solid spot by fall camp, LSU's 2025 offense could absolutely be the third historic offensive juggernaut to rise outta Baton Rouge in the past 6 years, led by yet another senior in Year II as a starting LSU quarterback........
....but after what we've seen, what he's proven, and what he's all about, individual awards will only go so far in fulfilling his ambitions.
In truth, the NussBus won't be satisfied unless he leaves LSU with a National Championship....and just as he meticulously prepared for his first year as a starter at LSU, you can bet the former backup is dissecting his 2024 film with a fine tooth comb....doing whatever he can to take his game to the next level....as he always has.
THE END OF OUR
TOP 10 TIGERS OF 2024 COUNTDOWN!
THANK YOU
FOR READING!
By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
©️ 2025 Uninterrupted Writings Inc
Extremely deserving of top billing. The young man is a still developing talent.