Heading into the 2025 College Football season, the LSU Tigers have National Championship hopes after making massive additions via the transfer portal and returning some of their key pieces. No player is more important to the Tigers hopes in 2025 than starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier who passed up on potentially being a first-round pick to return in 2025. While Garrett Nussmeier made the choice to return this season, he almost didn't have a chance.
When Garrett Nussmeier was a freshman in 2021, playing in a Bowl Game still counted against redshirt status meaning if you played 5 games, you wouldn't be granted a redshirt. After Ed Orgeron was fired, LSU had fewer than 40 scholarship players available for the Texas Bowl and the only choice at quarterback appeared to be playing Nussmeier and burning his redshirt status.
When you think of the wide receivers LSU has had over the last several seasons, the name Jontre Kirklin hardly rings a bell. In his career, Kirklin posted just 313 yards receiving playing in some loaded wide receiver rooms. His biggest impact came when the LSU Tigers played in the Texas Bowl as Kirklin started at quarterback for the Tigers.
The game was one LSU fans would like to forget as Kansas State won 42-20 after LSU tacked on 13 points late in the game to make the score look better. Kirklin went 7 for 11 passing for 138 yards and 3 touchdowns along with a pair of interceptions adding another 61 yards with his legs.
Jontre Kirklin went out with a bang. 👏 @13nation__ pic.twitter.com/zZLzlNQ4cP
— TigerDroppings (@TigerDroppings) January 5, 2022
A game that isn't very memorable for LSU fans could lead to a memorable season for the Tigers faithful in the long run. If Garrett Nussmeier was out of eligibility, the Tigers may not have had anywhere to turn to at the quarterback position as Bryce Underwood flipping his commitment changed LSU's plans at the position.
If Garrett Nussmeier wasn't the Tigers starting quarterback this season, Brian Kelly may not have used the transfer portal to build such a talented roster and in turn this could've been a wasted season. Instead, Jontre Kirklin's sacrifice in his final College Football game has given LSU a source of optimism in 2025.
Will the LSU Tigers build Kirklin a statue if they win it all this season, probably not but, he certainly will be remembered in a new light if he helped get the Tigers another National Championship.
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