LSU head coach Brian Kelly isn’t giving up on QB Garrett Nussmeier, whose late-season regression hurt his NFL draft stock and undid the Tigers’ College Football Playoff hopes. As CBS Sports’ Will Backus points out, Nussmeier will remain the starter despite the addition of Michael Van Buren Jr. via the transfer portal.
Van Buren graded out as a “B+” get for Kelly – who recently made it an inflection point to raise more money for the Tigers via the “Million Dollar Match Challenge.”
Though Van Buren won’t have an immediate impact, he is an excellent addition for the Tigers’ future. He flashed tremendous potential as a true freshman with the Bulldogs while tallying 16 total touchdowns. An extra, pressure-free year to develop should do him wonders as he acclimates to the SEC,” Backus wrote.
As Backus relayed, Van Buren gave up a guaranteed starting spot at Mississippi State for a competition in Baton Rouge he’ll likely lose.
Given the state of NIL in Starkville, or really, the lack thereof, the Bulldogs probably couldn’t match the asking price for a QB2 as the SEC’s $3 million low-spender. Not to mention, Blake Shapen is set to return to Mississippi State’s starting QB role he only lost due to a season-ending shoulder injury.
Kelly’s work in the transfer portal has been lauded since his gaudy pledge to raise NIL funding via the Bayou Traditions Football Fund. 247 Sports national scouting analyst Cooper Petagna labeled Kelly’s efforts exactly what LSU has been waiting for.
“So what they’ve been able to do, I think, is really, really encouraging from somebody that follows the program, and seems like a team Year 3 under Brian Kelly that had a lot more holes than you would expect. But from a roster-management standpoint, I think they’ve done a good job to plug a lot of those questions marks going into the offseason and obviously still some work left to do,” Petagna said during an interview with 247 Sports’ Garrett Stepien.
You win in the SEC with depth. Kelly lost Rickie Collins early in the transfer portal window but gained a QB with more starting experience.
It’s a good thing Kelly can pick up the tab on experience with LSU’s ascending NIL efforts.
