BATON ROUGE, La. — At a time when switching schools is easier than ever, Southern California’s Miller Moss and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier are showing how patience can still pay off.
Moss and Nussmeier were top-100 recruits who waited behind Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks before leading their teams to bowl victories in their first career starts. Now that the guys ahead of them are gone, they were the top two picks in this year's NFL draft. Moss and Nussmeier are open this season as unquestioned starters.
They’re the most notable examples of guys who never transferred and now have a chance to earn featured roles for the first time in their fourth or fifth seasons on campus. They happen to be facing each other to open the season on Sept. 1 when No. 13 LSU takes on No. 23 USC in Las Vegas.
Nussmeier made just one start in his first three seasons at LSU. The last two seasons, he backed up 2024 Heisman winner Jayden Daniels rather than leaving for a potential starting opportunity 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 opted out of the Reliaquest Bowl to focus on draft preparations, Nussmeier finally made his first career start and was named the game’s MVP. He went 31 of 45 for 395 yards with three touchdowns in a 35-31 victory over Wisconsin, a performance that established himself as Daniels’ obvious successor.
Moss finds himself in a similar situation as he begins his fourth season at USC. Moss said his appreciation for USC, his teammates and his coaches helped keep him from transferring.
“I think I had certain goals when I signed at USC,” Moss said. “I wanted to see those through until I couldn’t anymore.”
Moss spent the last two years backing up 2022 Heisman winner Caleb Williams, who opted out of USC’s bowl game and became the top overall draft pick this year. Moss responded by going 23 of 33 for 372 yards with six touchdown passes and one interception in a 42-28 Holiday Bowl triumph over Louisville.
Rather than dwelling on that bowl performance, Moss is focusing on the present as he tries to build on what he accomplished.
“I think it was a super positive moment for obviously the team and myself, but it’s not something that you sit there and say, ‘Hey, look I did this. This is what I’m going to feed off to give me confidence,’" Moss said. “I think you have to have a certain amount of confidence no matter what happens. Because there is inevitably going to be adversity, when that adversity comes, you have to have something to fall back on. I don’t think that comes from any result. I think that comes from your process, what you’ve put into your game and what you’ve put into the work that you’ve done.
Other players who decided to remain at their original schools and should have featured roles for the first time:
The defending national champions will have five new starters on the offensive line. Two candidates at center are Anderson and Crippen, who are entering their fourth seasons. Another possibility is Dominick Giudice, who has been working out at guard and center. Crippen appeared in six games in 2021, one in 2022 and nine in 2023. Anderson appeared in one game in 2021, four in 2022 and one last year.
Bolt has just six career catches for 175 yards, but he showed late last season what he’s capable of. He had a 42-yard touchdown in a win over New Mexico and a 57-yard score in the Mountain West Conference championship game triumph over UNLV. After missing the entire 2022 season with a lower leg injury, Bolt played eight games last year and started five. Now in his fifth season at his hometown school, Bolt is in line to make an impact for Boise State.
Dawkins has never started a game at Penn State, yet he commands such respect that he was named a team captain for this year. The eighth-ranked Nittany Lions are counting on the fifth-year senior to thrive in a starting role. Penn State has had a center drafted each of the last two years.
Scott, a top-100 prospect in the 2020 class, was recruited as a wide receiver but moved to tight end in spring 2021. He made his first three career starts last season and caught 10 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown. He has 20 career receptions for 140 yards and two scores. Scott is expected to open the season as the No. 1 tight end for the second-ranked Buckeyes.
Smith shares a name with former Alabama receiver DeVonta Smith, who won the 2020 Heisman and now plays for the Philadelphia Eagles. This Smith contributed primarily on special teams from 2021-22 and played just four games last season due to a broken foot. Smith now is healthy and has a chance to fill a big role as No. 5 Alabama rebuilds its secondary. Smith is competing for a starting spot.
Wilson is the projected starting center for the top-ranked Bulldogs as he enters his fourth season on campus. He appeared in one game in 2021, seven in 2022 and 13 last season as a reserve. Wilson had been backing up 2023 Associated Press All-America second-team center Sedrick Van Pran, who went to the Buffalo Bills in this year’s draft.
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