Garrett Nussmeier's final season of college football has not gone as hoped. Nussmeier has battled an abdominal injury all season long, and it has negatively impacted his playing ability. Nussmeier was benched against Alabama, and was unavailable for LSU's last two games against Arkansas and Western Kentucky. The Tigers are set to battle the 8th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday, and Nussmeier's status is once again is severe jeopardy.
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According to On3'e Pete Nakos, Nussmeier is expected to be listed as doubtful for the regular season finale against Oklahoma. It's another tough blow for the veteran QB, who wasn't able to play during his senior night last week against WKU.
Garrett Nussmeier unlikely to play against Oklahoma
Nussmeier was one of the best QBs in all of college football last season. He threw for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns while leading the SEC in completions with 337. He entered the 2025 season among the favorites to win the the Heisman Trophy and was projected as a potential top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft by some industry experts. Nussmeier and the Tigers had high hopes for the 2025 campaign, but it has unfortunately been a tumultuous season in Baton Rouge.
Even when able to play, it's clear that Nussmeier's abdominal injury had an impact on his playing ability. Known for his accuracy and deep-ball ability, both those aspects of his game were not the same in 2025. He looked uncomfortable and out of rhyth on a consistent basis, and it didn;t help that the LSU offense line struggled mightily at protecting their QB. Nussmeier's deep ball was lackluster, which severely hindered LSU's downfield passing ability. On the season, the Lake Charles native has thrown for 1,927 yards and 12 touchdowns with five interceptions in nine games.
With it appearing that Nussmeier has played his final regular season game, Michael Van Buren seems to be in line for his third consecutive start. The Mississippi State transfer took over for Nussmeier in the second half against Alabama, and then got the starting nod the last two weeks against Arkansas and Western Kentucky. He performed well against the Razorbacks, but struggled to get the offense going against WKU in a lackluster 13-10 win. Oklahoma owns one of the best defenses in the country, so Van Buren will have to be on top of his game if LSU wants to pull off the upset as 10.5-point underdogs.