LSU football offensive coordinator Joe Sloan talks QB Garrett Nussmeier's improvement

USA Today

2 days ago

LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan talked about quarterback Garrett Nussmeier's progression heading into his second year as the starter.
As he prepared for the 2024 season, his first year at the helm, Nussmeier played well throughout camp but needed true game experience to find his groove. Sloan recalls the transition period and believes his top passer learned a lot about his game.
"I think that growth has been him, and that's a lot of it first-year starter to second-year starter, in having those technical things that I need to work on because I know what happens to me in a game situation and I know what I need to be thinking, what I need to do with my feet and where I can miss or where I can maybe be a little bit more aggressive," Sloan said. "That's where I've seen his growth."
Nussmeier connected well with his top two targets in Kyren Lacy and Mason Taylor while also working well with running back Caden Durham. Sloan recognized the strong grasp Nussmeier had on schemes but also where the latter had room to grow with his own contributions in the run game.
"I think he has full command of the offense in terms of, you know, from an understanding standpoint, in the run game especially," Sloan said. "I think that was one thing that probably he needed to improve on in terms of just making sure that we were doing the right thing at all times in the run game. I thought he did an excellent job in the pass game. But that's kind of one of his growth is protecting the run game with his feet and with his brain. And I think he's made that."
Nussmeier naturally assumed more leadership responsibilities, taking over as the starting quarterback following Heisman winner Jayden Daniels. Now in his fifth year at LSU, Nussmeier commanded the respect of his teammates through his words and performance on the field.
"The last piece would be his leadership, and I think that's from going out and playing the way he did last year," Sloan said. "He has full command, right? It's not just because of his personality and work ethic, but it's also because of his play on the field. And I think he has full command of our team, and I think he's a definite leader and couldn't be more proud of the way he's made that progress. And I think going from year one to year two and just evolving in different ways."