Freshman Quarterback Colin Hurley has become a very interesting piece for LSU

ByNicholas Rome|
LSU v Florida
LSU v Florida | James Gilbert/GettyImages

The decision by Bryce Underwood to flip from LSU to Michigan has added a few interesting wrinkles to watch over the next few months. For starters, LSU now has an extra $1.5 million per year to allocate whether its through the transfer portal or to a recruit like Bryce Baker in the 2025 recruiting class or a quarterback in the 2026 recruiting class. It also brings a ton of intrigue to the quarterback room over the next few months.

The Tigers and the quarterbacks in the room were all expecting that Bryce Underwood was coming to campus. We've already seen Rickie Collins enter the transfer portal, and it wouldn't be surprising if veteran AJ Swann left as well after transferring in last season.

We've seen programs land transfers to sit and develop like Oregon got in Dante Moore, Georgia in Jaden Rashada, and Ole Miss in Walker Howard. The thing is that a quarterback deciding to take a step back and transfer to a place they can learn is so rare as everyone is looking to play as soon as possible as they can earn money by playing in NIL deals.

What the Tigers do have as a potential option for the Future is True Freshman Quarterback Colin Hurley. Before Hurley reclassified he was a composite five star meaning all of the recruiting services liked him enough for him to be one of the top 32 players. When Hurley reclassified, he ended up ranked in the low 20's for quarterbacks and 337th nationally which is still an impressive player.

We haven't seen Hurley in game action yet but, this Summer he made some impressive plays with his arm.

This summer, Hurley played well enough to throw his hat into the ring to be the backup quarterback but, he'll end up using his redshirt.

"I think Colin came in thinking I’m the No. 3 and now he’s like ‘why don’t I throw my hat in the ring here too."
Brian Kelly

Now with Rickie Collins in the transfer portal, we should get to see Colin Hurley in action against Baylor in the Texas Bowl. If Hurley shows the promise he had as a recruit then LSU may have its quarterback of the future which can solve a few issues for LSU on the recruiting trail.

If Hurley can show that he can be a capable backup to Garrett Nussmeier, the Tigers won't need to pursue an experienced veteran in the transfer portal. It also won't force LSU into over spending on a quarterback in the 2026 class which is helpful as the Nation's top quarterback in the 2027 recruiting class Elijah Haven is from Louisiana.

Colin Hurley has quickly gone from pushed aside as Bryce Underwood was set to join the fold to maybe one of the keys to the program's future which makes for an intriguing storyline for the Texas Bowl.

More LSU News: