In a time when moving to different schools is easier than ever, Southern California’s Miller Moss and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier are showing how patience can still be rewarding.
Moss and Nussmeier were highly ranked recruits who waited behind Heisman Trophy winners before leading their teams to bowl wins in their first career starts.
With the players ahead of them now gone — they were the top two picks in this year’s NFL draft — Moss and Nussmeier begin this season as clear starters.
They are standout examples of players who chose not to transfer and now have a chance to take on key roles for the first time in their fourth or fifth seasons on campus. They will face each other on September 1 when No. 13 LSU plays No. 23 USC in Las Vegas.
Nussmeier made just one start in his first three seasons at LSU. He was the backup to 2024 Heisman winner Jayden Daniels for the last two seasons instead of leaving for a possible starting job elsewhere.
“There’s obviously temptation,” Nussmeier said. “I love playing the game of football. So obviously I wanted to be playing on Saturdays. But what kept me to stay was, I felt like when I was making my decision out of high school where to go to school, I felt like there was a lot of prayer involved.
And God brought me to LSU for a reason. I did not feel it was my time to just pack up and leave.”
After Daniels chose to skip the Reliaquest Bowl to focus on the draft, Nussmeier finally got his first career start and was named the game’s MVP. He completed 31 of 45 passes for 395 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-31 win over Wisconsin, proving he was ready to take over as Daniels’ successor.
Moss is in a similar position as he starts his fourth season at USC. Moss said his appreciation for USC, his teammates, and his coaches helped him avoid transferring.
