LSU Not Announcing Starting QB Before Florida State Game

The Tigers know who their guy is but will keep it a mystery until Sunday, keep Florida State on their toes.

Head coach Brian Kelly will not name a starting quarterback before LSU’s season opener against Florida State. Despite knowing who their guy will be, Kelly and his coaching staff feel it gives them a “tactical advantage” to keep it within the program.

“I think it’s a tactical advantage not to announce it,” Kelly said on Monday. “We’re going to hold onto that card until gameday.”

The battle between both Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels and redshirt freshman Garrett Nussmeier has been incredibly close throughout fall camp with this coaching staff making the decision less than 48 hours ago.

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Starting camp as a three-man race, sixth-year senior Myles Brennan was also in the running until announcing his departure on Aug. 15 and retiring from the game of football.

Daniels has been the favorite over the last few practices and is clearly the most experienced quarterback in this competition. The junior signal-caller has shown his true dual-threat ability during his time at the collegiate level, going for 6,025 passing yards, 1,288 rushing yards and 45 total touchdowns at Arizona State.

For Nussmeier, he’s shown flashes of what he’s capable of. The redshirt freshman appeared in four games last season with the Tigers opting to keep his eligibility, holding him out of the bowl game.

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It’s a small sample size for Nussmeier, but he made the most of his opportunities when given playing time. With some decision making issues being what had many concerned, the youngster has cleaned up his approach, showcasing his new game during fall camp.

But both quarterbacks are play a very similar game. Kelly spoke on how the playbook will not change for whoever is on the field, even hinting both of them could see playing time this season.

“There’s some great similarities between the two of them in terms of what they’re able to do," Kelly said Monday. "They both run extremely well, they can make plays outside the pocket and certainly we don’t have to change the play calling. There’s not a dramatic difference between the two in play calling so you can imagine when we’re talking about both quarterbacks, this is a 1A and 1B, not a 1 and a 2.”

With the battle so close, it isn't a surprise Kelly is keeping Florida State on their toes during game week. Rather than show their card, this program is keeping it a mystery until Sunday’s contest against a fiery Seminoles squad in the Caesars SuperDome.