Sad Ending for Nussmeier

By Jim Gazzolo

As the mess that is the LSU football program continues to grow by the day, there appear to be plenty of folks to blame.

Once considered a big job with a premier national powerhouse, the position of Tiger head football coach doesn’t look so good these days.

More big names are running from Baton Rouge than toward it, according to all the rumors. The Tigers have become an embarrassment in college football. 

There are plenty of fingers being pointed and plenty of whispers about who will be left when the smoke clears. One thing is for sure: this is not how most figured this season would turn out.

When the LSU season started, Brian Kelly actually figured out how to win a season opener. He was 0-3 in that attempt before his team beat Clemson on the road to begin the year.

Listening to the Tiger faithful, that win was going to propel this team to the playoffs. Now, as both teams have struggled and are well out of the Top 25 rankings, it doesn’t seem to matter. 

Kelly is gone but won’t soon be forgotten, as the school — and his attorneys — are locked in a battle over his $54 million buyout. Surprisingly, Kelly wants it all. 

Imagine somebody actually wanting their full, agreed-upon-by-all-parties contract paid out. 

LSU now says they fired Kelly for cause, after first saying he wasn’t really fired at all. It could be that they fired him because they were stupid to give him a 10-year, $100 million deal in the first place. 

Now the powers at LSU have buyer’s remorse, or are just cheap. Either way, the more they talk, the less attractive the LSU top coaching job looks to interested parties.

The school has yet to go public with the actual reason Kelly was fired, beyond not winning enough. 

It’s impossible to feel sorry for either side, but I do feel bad for one guy: LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. He never signed up for this.

Born in Lake Charles, Nussmeier always wanted to play for LSU. He stayed when others would've left. Nussmeier had a great season last year and could have gone to the NFL. 

He may have even been the first quarterback picked in the draft, but instead elected to head back to college for one final run at a national title. A dream season that has instead become a nightmare.

He played through an injury, struggled behind a dismal offensive line, and saw his offensive coordinator really underperform. The hits just kept piling up on Nussmeier, who, with every week, saw his future in football become more unclear.

His draft status dropped. Once considered the Heisman Trophy favorite, Nussmeier was benched last week against Alabama with the game still up for grabs. 

He's now expected to share time at the position for the rest of the season under a coaching staff that's likely sending out resumes as much as they're working on game plans.

After being a good soldier for the past five years and having his share of big moments, Nussmeier deserves to go out better. He's what college football once was and should still be.

Nussmeier’s arm will probably give him a chance on the next level, but you wonder if he's now damaged goods.

What should have been a great story of loyalty and perseverance is now another cautionary tale of take the money and run when you can.

As for Tiger fans? The ones who last season piled on the Nuss Bus, as it was called, have now tripped over themselves jumping off it.

It is a sad final chapter in the book on Nussmeier. 

The kid deserves a better ending.

Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers sports in Southwest Louisiana. He is also the host of Poke Nation, which airs weekly on CBS-Lake Charles.