Two LSU players listed as way-too-early 2024 Heisman candidates

With the 2023 college football season rapidly coming to a close, many are beginning to look ahead to next year. Naturally, one of the top things people are keeping an eye on is the 2024 Heisman Trophy. TAlready, the Tigers of LSU have several candidates, including quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and transfer addition AJ Swann.

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier a top-10 candidate for the 2024 Heisman Trophy

What a start to the 2024 calendar it’s been for LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier! Not even one full month after being announced as the starter for the New Year’s Day ReliaQuest Bowl, the redshirt sophomore has just about taken over as the signal caller for the purple and gold.

It certainly helps that he has been in the program for three full seasons now, and it showed in his performance against Wisconsin earlier this week.

Even despite star wide receiver Malik Nabers sitting out the second half in its entirety, he appeared to be in control the whole way through. In fact, he led his team to an ultimately 98-yard game winning drive with a little over five minutes remaining in the game.

In total, the newly appointed starter threw the ball 45 times for 395 yards, three touchdowns and one interception while completing 68.9 percent of his passes.

THAT’S A TOUCHDOWN@Garrettnuss13 ➡️ @iamchrishilton1 pic.twitter.com/C5bI3YERZQ

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) January 1, 2024

Understandably, following the 2023 Heisman run of soon-to-be NFL quarterback Jayden Daniels, LSU signal callers are likely at the forefront for potential Heisman candidates in the near future.

For Nussmeier, this could be beneficial, as he’s already being looked at as a top-10 candidate, with +2200 odds, according to FanDuel. Sitting at No. 10 overall, he’s just ahead of Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik (T-No. 11) and Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard (T-No. 11), while trailing Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart (No. 9).

Transfer addition AJ Swann sneaks into FanDuel odds

Still, it’s important to note that Garrett Nussmeier hasn’t technically earned the official 2024 starting quarterback position yet. AJ Swann, the former starter for Vanderbilt has elected to transfer over to the Tigers, adding a bit of a competition into the mix heading into next season.

In his time with the Commodores, Swann was largely inconsistent, but showed flashes that would have any football fan plenty excited.

AJ SWANN ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?

The freshman QB somehow escapes and throws a dime for the @VandyFootball TD pic.twitter.com/E4e5n9lCUA

— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) September 17, 2022

In two years with the program, he threw the ball 394 times for 2,731 yards, 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions, completing 56.3 percent of his career passes.

According to FanDuel, the new LSU addition could be a name to keep an eye on for the coveted 2024 Heisman Trophy if he ends up winning the starting spot. As of right now, he’s tied for No. 31 in official odds (+11,000), right alongside North Carolina quarterback Max Johnson, NC State quarterback Grayson McCall and Washington quarterback Austin Mack.

Regardless of who ends up taking the starting job this coming season, don’t be surprised if Vegas keeps a close eye on them. There’s no doubt this LSU team can score points under coach Brian Kelly. It’s just a matter of how well they transition into the next era of Tiger football.

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