LSU Football: Kelly suggests end to QB competition is near

LSU Football’s Fall Camp has officially concluded its second week of practice. The Tigers came into camp with a lot of question marks on their depth chart. The most intriguing battles are those on the offensive side of the ball, specifically at quarterback, running back and along the offensive line. Brian Kelly and his staff will use the next couple of weeks to evaluate the state of the program’s positions ahead of the September 4 kickoff against Florida State.

There has been little-to-no talk about which of the four LSU quarterbacks will line up under center in the Caesars Superdome early next month. Although, admittedly, it seems as if freshman phenom Walker Howard’s name has been taken out of the running due to the possibility of a redshirt season. If that’s the case, it’s a three-horse race between Myles Brennan, Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier for the Tigers’ starting quarterback job.

LSU Football’s Brian Kelly hints at the end of the quarterback competition

Each gunslinger brings something completely different to the table. Brennan’s got the veteran experience and wisdom. Daniels has the dual-threat ability and dynamism. Nussmeier has a monster arm and a lot of room to develop. All of this just goes to show that the QB1 classification could solely come down to Kelly’s preference in a starting quarterback, as opposed to a clear frontrunner based on pure talent.

Whereas coaches don’t usually go as far as to outline what they’re looking for in a quarterback, Kelly did just than in a recent interview. He talked with LSU’s Executive Director of Creative Content, Emily Dixon, on Friday to discuss the most recent developments from Fall Camp:

In regard to what traits he values most, it seems as if adeptness and experience are huge qualities in Kelly’s eyes. This suggests that Nussmeier may have already fallen a bit behind, which was to be expected anyway given how heavily the school recruited both Brennan (to return) and Daniels. Kelly touched on the fact that he’s seriously evaluating the quarterbacks’ ability to read coverage and set up protection during these early days of camp, which will lead to a decision.

Brennan and Daniels both have a lot of experience in the areas Kelly emphasized. They have been the frontrunners for months for this reason. Stylistically, they complement one another nicely. Brennan is a traditional pocket passer that LSU fans are fairly used to seeing over the years (see Mettenberger, Zach and Etling, Danny). Daniels is a true dual-threat, but not one like Tiger fans have witnessed before. He’s far more dynamic than the one other dual-threat quarterback to take snaps for LSU “recently,” Brandon Harris.

In the end, Kelly and his staff are keeping any developments in the race in house. They seem to be nearing a decision regarding who takes the label of QB1 heading into the build up for the first game. The coaches are being tight-lipped about the situation, and it wouldn’t surprise anybody to see this secrecy continue. The Tigers care about winning first and foremost, and denying the Seminoles adequate time to prepare for their opposition’s offense gives LSU an edge on week one.