LSU Football QB Garrett Nussmeier Opens Up on Recovery Process Amid Major Injury

Indianapolis — Garrett Nussmeier stepped to the podium at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine on Thursday carrying more than a laminated name tag; he carried the weight of a season that never felt quite right. The former LSU quarterback, once projected to challenge for the top tier of this quarterback class, revealed that a core/abdominal injury suffered on only the second day of 2025 fall camp hijacked his final year in Baton Rouge and, until recently, clouded his draft outlook.

“I really wasn’t able to throw the football,” Nussmeier told reporters. “I had a stabbing pain in my ab every time I went to throw the football. We weren’t able to figure out what it was… It was a rare deal. We didn’t find out what it really was until two months ago.”

The delayed diagnosis helps explain the sharp drop-off in production. After a breakout 2024 campaign in which he threw for 4,052 yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 64.2 percent of his passes, Nussmeier labored through pain in 2025 and ultimately missed LSU’s final three games. His last appearance—an abbreviated second half against Alabama on Nov. 8—ended with him on the sideline, the offense operating under backup orders.

Nussmeier finished his LSU career with more than 7,000 passing yards, but NFL evaluators have spent the winter dissecting how much of the 2025 tape was compromised by injury. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound signal-caller believes he can now supply a cleaner evaluation. “Feeling much more like myself, which is exciting,” he said.

The 2026 quarterback board appears top-heavy. ESPN analyst Field Yates projects California’s Fernando Mendoza as the sure-fire No. 1 passer and Alabama’s Ty Simpson as the likely second quarterback selected. After that, the hierarchy is murky. Nussmeier’s performance this week—both in athletic testing and in Sunday’s throwing session—could determine whether he secures the QB3 label and a potential Day 2 draft slot.

“Senior Bowl week, for guys like Garrett Nussmeier, is going to influence that race for the third quarterback taken,” Yates noted.

Nussmeier elected to skip the Senior Bowl, placing even greater emphasis on his combine numbers and LSU’s upcoming Pro Day. Scouts want to see whether the zip and accuracy that defined his 2024 film have returned now that the core pain has subsided. If the medical checks confirm full healing and the on-field workout mirrors the pre-injury form, Nussmeier could see his name rise rapidly across draft boards starved for quarterback depth.

For one of the Southeastern Conference’s most prolific passers of the past two seasons, the next 48 hours represent a chance to flip the narrative from what might have been to what still lies ahead.