All eyes on Garrett Nussmeier as he faces a pivotal moment at the Senior Bowl

Garrett Nussmeier ends his collegiate career as one of the most prolific passers in LSU Football history. Of all quarterbacks to suit up for the Tigers in program history, Nussmeier currently ranks 3rd in passing yards (7,699), 4th in touchdowns (52), and 2nd in completions (660).

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However, Nussmeier's final season in Baton Rouge wasn't the picturesque finish to his career he envisioned. After entering the 2025 campaign among the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy, Nussmeier battled an abdominal injury throughout the season.

He only recently learned of the full extent of the injury, and stated earlier this week that he couldn't use his core when throwing. He finished his senior season with 1,927 passing yards and 12 touchdowns with five interceptions across nine games.

After such a tumultuous 2025 season, Nussmeier has plenty to prove at the Senior Bowl on Saturday. Nussmeier is looking to show NFL organizations that he can still be the guy who threw for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2024.

Garrett Nussmeier enters the Senior Bowl with plenty on the line

Along with being a Heisman favorite early on in 2025, Nussmeier was also widely regarded as a potential First Round pick in the NFL Draft. Todd McShay even had him going No. 4 overall in his "appropriately early" 2026 NFL Mock Draft in August.

However, Nussmeier's injury and underwhelming senior season have him outside the First Round in most Mock Drafts at this point in time. Now, the Lake Charles native is thought to be a Day 2 pick.

But the Senior Bowl presents a great opportunity for Nussmeier. If he is able to put together a great showing, his draft stock would instantly be raised. That is especially true when considering the fact that the 2026 draft class is short on quarterbacks.

In the latest mock draft from Saturday Blitz, three quarterbacks are projected to be drafted in the First Round: Fernando Mendoza (No. 1 overall to the Raiders), Ty Simpson (No. 11 overall to the Dolphins), and Trinidad Chambliss (No. 21 overall to the Steelers). If Nussmeier shows out at the Senior Bowl, he could raise his draft stock substantially.

No matter when he is drafted, Tiger fans will be rooting for Nussmeier wherever he goes. The in-state product chose to stay at LSU for five seasons, which is a rarity in today's age of college football. He battled through injuries and gave LSU all he had, and leaves the program as one of the best QBs to wear the purple and gold.