It's been a rough season in 2025 for the LSU football program, which currently sits with a mediocre record of 6-4 following last week's win over the Arkansas Razorbacks. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier was out of the lineup for that one due to an abdominal injury, opening the door for backup Michael Van Buren to get the start.
Recently, the Tigers got an update for Nussmeier's status for this week's game against Western Kentucky, and it was not of the positive variety.
“LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier is doubtful this week against Western Kentucky, per interim coach Frank Wilson,” reported Pete Nakos of On3 Sports on X, formerly Twitter. “Sources tell On3 Sports he's currently not expected to play and did not practice Tuesday. Michael Van Buren is in line to get the start.”
Van Buren played well in LSU's win over the Razorbacks, completing 21 of his 31 pass attempts, good for 221 yards and a touchdown in what ended up being a narrow 23-22 win.
Still, Nussmeier was expected to be a Heisman Trophy candidate entering this season, and thus far, he has not held up his end of the bargain. The LSU football team as a whole has largely underperformed so far in the 2025 season, leading to the firing of head coach Brian Kelly a few weeks ago.
Coming into the year, there was considerable hype around the Tigers, which only grew with a Week 1 win over Clemson, but it became apparent quickly that defeating Clemson is not a difficult feat, and things quickly spiraled from there for LSU.
In any case, LSU will next take the field on Saturday against Western Kentucky at 7:45 pm ET.
