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The 2026 NFL Draft nearly has arrived, and Garrett Nussmeier can breathe a sigh of relief.
The former LSU quarterback, who missed a portion of his senior season due to oblique pain, finally knows the full reason why his season was cut short. A test at this year's NFL Combine revealed that he had been playing through a cyst that was on his spine. The cyst happened to be right above a nerve that caused pain in his oblique area.
While he doesn't need surgery on it now due to the pain dying down, if it were to become symptomatic, Nussmeier would need surgery that would take 2-3 weeks to heal fully.
Here's a look at what Nussmeier had to go through during his senior season, and a look at his stats across a five-year collegiate career.
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Garrett Nussmeier cyst, explained
On Monday, it was revealed that the former LSU quarterback underwent tests at the NFL Combine that revealed a cyst on his spine. Nussmeier had revealed previously that he was playing through tremendous pain during his senior year, and this is likely the cause.
Former LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier underwent tests at the NFL combine that revealed a cyst on his spine — the root cause of the persistent oblique pain that derailed his 2025 season, sources say.
The cyst was pressing on a nerve, causing discomfort in Nussmeier’s oblique. He has… pic.twitter.com/vG7iXFsleE
His senior season was cut short due to a cited oblique pain. According to Pelissero, Nussmeier was asymptomatic since before the Senior Bowl and during the draft process. If the incoming QB talent were to become seriously affected by this, he could undergo a minimally invasive procedure and miss just 2-3 weeks while the stitches heal.
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Garrett Nussmeier stats
Nussmeier participated in five seasons for the LSU Tigers. After playing four games in the 2021 season, then-coach Ed Orgeron and the family decided to stop his participation to preserve a year of eligibility, which allowed him to keep his redshirt status.
Nussmeier's best campaign came in 2024, when he accumulated more than 4,000 pass yards and 29 touchdowns. LSU finished the regular season with an 8-4 record and beat Baylor 44-31 in the Kinder's Texas Bowl.
Here are the former LSU quarterback's stats per season as a Tiger.
| Year | Games | Pass yards | TDs | INTs | CMP% | QB rating |
| 2021 | 4 | 329 | 2 | 2 | 50.9% | 103.9 |
| 2022 | 7 | 800 | 5 | 4 | 61.9% | 152.0 |
| 2023 | 7 | 591 | 4 | 1 | 61.5% | 139.5 |
| 2024 | 13 | 4,052 | 29 | 12 | 64.2% | 142.7 |
| 2025 | 9 | 1,927 | 12 | 5 | 67.4% | 133.8 |
| TOTAL/avg | 40 | 7,699 | 52 | 24 | 64.0% | 138.6 |
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Garrett Nussmeier NFL Draft projection
Nussmeier did not hear his name called on the first night of the NFL Draft. However, according to SN's Vinnie Iyer, he is projected to go No. 93 to the Los Angeles Rams in the third round.
Matthew Stafford will not be able to play forever, despite still playing at a high level for numerous years and helping Los Angeles win their first Super Bowl since 2000. They will need to start looking into the future, and they may take a chance in the middle rounds on the former LSU quarterback.
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