LSU Football: It feels inevitable that a QB will transfer out of Baton Rouge

LSU football may have the best quarterback room in the SEC.

Redshirt senior Myles Brennan has experience. Sophomores Max Johnson and TJ Finley are the young hotshots. And true freshman Garrett Nussmeier has the potential to be one of the best quarterbacks in the conference.

It’s a great situation for offensive coordinator Jake Peetz and passing game coordinator DJ Mangas.

But it could also be a curse for the Tigers.

Could LSU football lose a quarterback to the transfer portal?

LSU is currently in the early portion of spring practice, so it’s impossible to know who the Tigers’ starting quarterback will be this fall.

Brennan entered the 2020 season as the starter, and he put up impressive numbers in the first three games of the season before an injury sidelined him for the rest of the season.

In Brennan’s absence, Finley and Johnson each received starts. Johnson led LSU to wins over Ole Miss and Florida to close the season.

Brennan entered spring practice as the favorite to be the Tigers’ starting quarterback in 2021, but I’m not sure that’s how this battle will play out.

Shea Dixon, who covers LSU for 247Sports, reported on Sunday that Johnson is “really pushing his game to another level”.

Dixon also reported that folks at LSU believe Nussmeier could be a collegiate starter this fall. He also had positive things to report about Brennan (working himself back nicely from his season-ending abdomen injury) and Finley (recently had a good scrimmage and is connecting well with Peetz).

In other words, it’s a muddy situation.

On one hand, it’s a great problem to have. LSU almost can’t go wrong with whoever wins the job.

But when there are four starting-caliber quarterbacks on the roster, it seems inevitable that at least one will look elsewhere to play.

And I certainly would understand if that ends up being the case. Quarterbacks want to play. And this isn’t a situation where it’s a “wait your turn” type thing. If Nussmeier takes a hold of the job this fall, why would Johnson or Finley want to stick around? Or if Johnson is the guy, does Finley look elsewhere?

Or perhaps Brennan wins the job, and Nussmeier is second on the depth chart. That could be a situation where Johnson and Finley decide to look at their options.

By the way, let’s not forget that five-star quarterback Walker Howard is committed to LSU’s 2022 recruiting class. He’s going to be a threat to win the job the day he steps on campus.

This is the nature of college football these days. The transfer portal and the eventual one-time transfer rule make it easy for players to explore their options. I can’t blame a quarterback for leaving in search of playing time. It doesn’t mean that a player is afraid of competition. It’s simply a realization that there are only so many reps to go around.

I’d keep an eye on the transfer portal at the end of spring. I wouldn’t be shocked if an LSU quarterback enters the portal shortly after the conclusion of spring practice.