2021 Target Garrett Nussmeier Talks LSU Football, How He's Handling Recruitment Amid Uncertain Times

Nussmeier could push commitment date back with recruiting visits put on pause

LSU 2021 quarterback target Garrett Nussmeier still remembers the day he received his first offer. It was Jun. 13, 2018, the summer leading into his sophomore season when the Tigers officially gave him his first official offer.

It's a day and a time that holds a special place in his heart because LSU was not only the first school to offer the Marcus High School product, but the first program to actually show any significant interest.

"That meant a lot to me," Nussmeier told LSUCountry on Friday. "I understood that it wasn't a 'Hey, we're going to take you right now' offer. It was a 'we expect you to progress' and so I took it as motivation that they believe in me but I have to stay along the timeline and keep growing and keep getting better."

Nussmeier took the offer to heart and has attended every LSU summer throwing camp since his freshman season while continuing to add and expand his game. As a result he has that familiarity with the facilities, the school and of course, the coaching staff.

Even with all of the staff turnover at LSU in recent weeks and months, Nussmeier's excitement hasn't wavered as he's spoken regularly with many on the LSU staff. He's mainly been talking with offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger, passing game coordinator Scott Linehan, analyst Russ Callaway and of course, Ed Orgeron.

"Coach O is very hands on in recruiting so I think I talk to coach O just as much as I talk to anybody else," Nussmeier said. "During the season, our conversations revolved around him saying 'you know what we can do with a quarterback' and that there are so many athletes in the state of Louisiana. 

"LSU is going to get the best athletes everywhere and so that was one of his biggest pitches. You're gonna have somebody to throw the ball to, you're gonna have guys that can protect you and the defense is gonna be so damn good that you're gonna get the ball back."

The Nussmeier family does have ties to the LSU program, most notably through Linehan, as Garrett's father Doug, played for Linehan at the University of Idaho and then later coached alongside Linehan for the Dallas Cowboys.

"They've had a pretty good relationship for a long time and we have a pretty good relationship as well," Nussmeier said. "I have a view of him as a really close family friend so to be able to play for him would be a cool opportunity but it's also a great amount of insight."

Currently, Nussmeier ranks as the No. 7 pro style quarterback in the 2021 class according to 247sports.  Nussmeier was able to squeeze in three official visits to LSU, TCU and Baylor before recruiting trips were put on hold due to the COVID-19 outbreak. 

The rising senior still has plans to visit Miami and Texas once everything opens back up but recently added a new team into the mix, Texas A&M.

The Aggies offered Nussmeier two days ago and he wants to exhaust all opportunities that are thrown his way. As a result, Nussmeier said he could ultimately decide to push back his commitment date, which was originally scheduled for April 18, so he can make those official visits before deciding.

"The plan was to follow the original timeline but obviously everything got kind of thrown off so I'm not really sure," Nussmeier said. "We'll just kind of see how it goes and take it day by day."

In the meantime, Nussmeier will continue to find ways to keep working out whether it be from home or at the one gym that's remained open in his hometown, 24/7 Fitness. Ideally, Nussmeier would like to add 10-15 pounds ahead of his senior season which would get him to around 195.

Nussmeier prides himself on his ability to maneuver in the pocket and deliver accurate passes but wants to show colleges that there's some untapped athletic ability he hopes to showcase in his senior year.

"I think the next step for me is to build that confidence and take the ball past the line of scrimmage and go get five or six," Nussmeier said. "So getting better at running the football and getting bigger and stronger are two important things to me as of now."

It appears, for now at least, Nussmeier is keeping all of his options open, which will spark much debate as his original commitment date looms closer.