Garrett Nussmeier, Mac Jones?

LSU's offense was the best in college football last season, boasting the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, a top-10 draft pick in the 2024 NFL draft at wide receiver, and a top-25 pick at wide receiver in the draft.

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LSU will be looking to replace all that talent. Kyren Lacy is set to be the top option at wide receiver, and John Emery Jr. is returning as the Tigers' top running back.

LSU is also set to have one of the top offensive lines in college football, with On3 ranking them as the best offensive line. Will Campbell is in contention for the top overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft and Emery Jones is in contention for a top-10 pick in the draft. He also graded as the fourth-best offensive tackle last season according to PFF.

But it's the quarterback that will draw the spotlight, and Garrett Nussmeier is no different in that retrospect. He is tasked with replacing one of the best mobile quarterbacks in college football history, Jayden Daniels.

Nussmeier is a redshirt junior for the Tigers and played sparingly over his career. He's appeared in 18 games with just one start, LSU's Reliaquest Bowl against Wisconsin.

In his lone start, he completed 68.9% of his passes for 395 yards and three touchdowns. He's now set to be the Tigers starter in 2024. If that path sounds familiar, it should, as it's similar to the career path that one of Alabama's signal callers had to take.

Nick Saban made the connection as well, comparing Nussmeier to former Alabama quarterback, Heisman finalist, and first-round draft pick, Mac Jones.

"Garrett Nussmeier reminds me a lot of Mac Jones. Same kind of journey. Not the same style of player -- same kind of journey, stuck with the program, sat behind some really good players. Waited for his opportunity. Developed that whole time. Was smart enough to understand that it was important that when he got a chance to play, he was going to play well. Not about being frustrated that he wasn't playing at that moment. I think those guys can sometimes be pretty dangerous. He's probably more ready to play than people think." - Saban said on ESPN.

Before taking over as the Crimson Tide's starting quarterback in 2020, Jones had started four games, all in 2019 and all due to injury to the starter Tua Tagovailoa. Jones was also a redshirt junior when he earned his first season as a starter for Alabama.

Will Nussmeier and LSU rise to the level of Jones and Alabama in 2020? It's unlikely, but if they do, it will make the Tide's trip to Baton Rouge much more interesting on Nov. 9.

Tide 100.9 is live on site in Dallas, Texas for SEC Media Days 2024. DME and Brand Manager Wyatt Fulton and On-Air talent Ryan Fowler will bring live updates from Dallas all week.

Wyatt Fulton is the TIde 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.