Garrett Nussmeier began the 2025 college football season as the potential No. 1 quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft, only to have the worst season of his LSU career and watch his stock drop each week. Nussmeier battled injuries all season, which he said left him with a “stabbing pain” on every pass attempt.
The 24-year-old quarterback said the injury occurred on his second practice of fall camp and stumped doctors all season. However, now that he is fully healthy, he believes he will impress scouts in the months leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft in April.
“My injury occurred on practice two of fall camp,” Nussmeier said, via Mike DeFabo of ‘The Athletic'. “How much did it affect me? I think it was pretty evident; I really wasn't able to throw the football. I had a stabbing pain in my ab every time I went to go throw the football. We weren't able to figure out exactly what it was; it was a frustrating deal. It wasn't LSU's fault, it wasn't the doctor's fault — they did a great job of taking care of me.
“It was just a rare deal, a thing we didn't really figure out what it was until about two months ago. I had about nine days to prepare for the Senior Bowl and try to get right for that. I've made a lot of progress over the last month, so I'm feeling much more like myself, which has been exciting. Learning how to retrain myself, get rid of the bad habits I created, and just be able to throw the football like I know I can.”
LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier said his injury occurred Day 2 of fall camp:
“How much did it affect me? I think it was pretty evident.
“I really wasn’t able to throw the football. I had a stabbing pain in my ab every time I went to go throw the football.” pic.twitter.com/i6cLL9irMn
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) February 27, 2026
Some viewed Nussmeier as a dark-horse first-round prospect after breaking out with 4,052 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2024. He instead opted to return to Baton Rouge in 2025, but saw his numbers plummet to 1,927 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions.
In what he deemed his first healthy game of the year, Nussmeier started for the American Team in the 2026 Senior Bowl. He completed five of his seven passes for 57 passing yards while punching in one rushing touchdown and a two-point conversion. Nussmeier was named the game's MVP while leading his team to victory.
