With the 2024 National L-Club Spring Game being just days away, we’ll soon learn plenty about the current state of Tiger football. Among many other battles of note, the backup quarterback competition is something to keep a close eye on, and along with plenty of fans, LSU coach Brian Kelly is particularly excited to see what he learns this coming Saturday.
LSU coach Brian Kelly shares key update on backup quarterback position battle
When former Vanderbilt quarterback AJ Swann initially announced his decision to transfer down to Baton Rouge with the Tigers, many thought he’d quickly slide in as the backup quarterback with the chance of pushing projected starter Garrett Nussmeier.
After all, Swann has plenty of starting experience already and in his two seasons with the Commodores, has thrown the ball 394 times for 2,731 yards and 22 touchdowns.
However, after 14 practices of spring football, it’s become abundantly clear that this isn’t going to be nearly as clear-cut as initially anticipated.
Rising redshirt freshman Rickie Collins came out of high school as a four-star recruit and the No. 242 player nationally. In turn, thanks in large part to his blue chip status, many had some high expectations for the 6-foot-2, 205-pound signal caller. Now, heading into his true sophomore year, he might be matching said expectations sooner rather than later.
“There’s a battle going on there right now for that No. 2 position,” coach Brian Kelly said about the the backup quarterback position yesterday. “AJ [Swann] and Rickie [Collins] are battling that out right now – they’re gonna play a lot on Saturday. That’s a pretty good battle right now. So, getting that one to come together as well will be another thing.”
As a freshman in 2023, Collins made just one appearance vs. Grambling State, and did a solid job in the closing minutes of the matchup. He completed both of his passes for three yards, while adding 19 yards on the ground.
Now, as we look ahead to the 2024 campaign, it sounds as though he has a chance to earn his way into some backup snaps, which could be big for his odds of competing for a starting job in the following year.
Garrett Nussmeier has a strong grasp of the starting job
Speaking of starting jobs, it’s a pretty safe bet that quarterback Garrett Nussmeier has officially won the job. In all honesty, this shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, as the 6-foot-2, 198-pound signal caller has been the backup, waiting for his opportunity for years.
Now, with coach Kelly confirming that AJ Swann and Rickie Collins are competing for the No. 2 slot this spring, it’s only further proven the way that the coaching staff views the rising senior.
Over the course of his three year career with the purple and gold, it hasn’t been hard to see why Nussmeier was so highly rated coming out of Marcus High School in Lake Charles, LA.
With a cannon for an arm and solid mobility around the pocket, he’s managed to throw the ball 219 times for 1,720 yards and 11 touchdowns, while completing 58.9 percent of his passes.
We’ll soon get a first look at the 2024 Tiger quarterback room tomorrow, Saturday, April 12 at 1:00 p.m. CST during the annual National L-Club Spring Game. The names to keep a close eye out for include senior Garrett Nussmeier, junior AJ Swann, sophomore Rickie Collins and freshman Colin Hurley, and you’ll be able to watch the competitions either live on SEC Network+ or in person at Tiger Stadium.
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