Garrett Nussmeier continued opening up Friday on what had been a somewhat open secret in Baton Rouge for about six months.
The LSU quarterback detailed to reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine the timeline and impact of his often-downplayed oblique injury, which he admitted was suffered in early August and noticeably hindered his effectiveness.
“My injury occurred in fall camp, Day 2,” he said. “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 ball. And we weren’t able to figure out exactly what it was. It was a frustrating deal. And it wasn’t LSU’s fault, it wasn’t the doctor’s fault. They did a great job of taking care of me, and the trainers there. It was just a rare deal, and we really didn’t figure out what it was until about two months ago.”
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
Coach Brian Kelly brushed aside injury concerns after reports Nussmeier had left practice early set off alarm bells around the fan base.
Kelly initially referenced patellar tendinitis and joked off the idea of more serious concerns before then admitting in mid-September that the quarterback had been dealing with a torso injury, but continuing to largely downplay the extend.
In his limited media availability this fall, Nussmeier consistently declined to discuss his injury and expressed his desire to remain focused on the team and games at hand.
But, with the season (and his college career) now officially closed, he has started contextualizing what had been a relatively disappointing performance for his highly anticipated final season in purple and gold.
“It was rough,” he told NBC Sports’ “Pro Football Talk” hosts Mike Florio and Chris Simms. “You know, it was obviously a very hindering deal for a quarterback. It was a tough deal. Without getting too specific with kind of everything that went on, it didn’t matter the distance of the throw — it was a lot of pain for me throwing the football. So obviously didn’t figure out what it truly was until about two months ago now and only had about nine days to prepare for the senior bowl and get right for that.
“And so, just been retraining, trying to learn how to throw again from the ground up and get that back right. So obviously not being able to run, hadn’t had time to train starts or anything like that, just rehabbing. I’m feeling a lot better now, made a lot of progress, close to 100 (percent), back to being myself.”
LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier prepares to take a snap Sept. 13, 2025, against Florida. (Photo: Cole Miller, @colevisualz)
Nussmeier played in nine games before being shut down late in the season and finished 194-for-288 (67.4%) for 1,927 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions.
His raw efficiency numbers such as completion percentage and touchdown-to-interception ratio remained similar to those from his 2024 campaign, but with lower yards per attempt and completion and visibly limited ability to drive the ball downfield with the same strength.
And for a player once anticipated to make a notable leap as a second-year starter and compete as a potential Heisman candidate and top quarterback draft prospect, his stock tumbled in discussions of the class.
“I didn’t pay too much attention to the stock,” he said. “I had an opportunity to go back to LSU and win a national championship, and that was always my dream. And so for me, obviously I had to entertain and do my due diligence last offseason and kind of check out the situation, but having that opportunity to go back and play for LSU one more time and hopefully we thought to try to win a national championship, that was kind of a hard deal for me to pass up. So ultimately I just felt like it was right for me to go back.”
Nussmeier earned MVP honors of the Panini Senior Bowl on Jan. 31 with 5-for-8 passes for 57 yards, a rushing touchdown and a completed two-point throw.
And he appears to be gradually raising his stock once again with that performance, this week’s opportunity in Indianapolis, Ind., and potentially an upcoming LSU Pro Day.