LSU football had the perfect succession plan.

Regardless of whether or not redshirt junior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier would return to the Tigers in 2025, LSU had the ideal man to replace him when he left for the NFL.

Five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 overall player in the Class of 2025, seemed to be the perfect bridge to usher the LSU offense into a new era.

But with Underwood decommitting to Michigan less than two weeks before the early signing period that begins Dec. 4, the Tigers now find themselves in a less comfortable situation when it comes to the future of the position.

“At the end of the day, we want guys who want to be here,” Nussmeier said Saturday, “who want to play for coach (Brian) Kelly, who want to play for LSU, who want to represent purple and gold. (They) actually care about the three letters (and) that they actually mean something to them.

Underwood would have been the first high school quarterback to arrive on campus as the No. 1 overall player in the country. Instead, LSU will have to look for its next star at that position, even if Nussmeier returns.

Kelly said during his radio show Monday that he is “hopeful” Nussmeier will return to LSU next season.

“I think we will always try to sign a quarterback every year, and most likely we will sign a quarterback again this year,” Kelly said Monday.

Figuring out which quarterbacks will be in the transfer portal this winter is a difficult task, especially before early December. But it’s a path Kelly didn’t hide when he spoke to the media on Monday.

LSU could still add a quarterback from the 2025 class. However, according to the 247Sports Composite, 39 of the top 40 quarterbacks in the Class of 2025 have committed to other schools.

“We look at the calendar year a little differently than just December. “We have a February signing period and a transfer portal,” Kelly said, “so we’ll continue to look at that and see how that best fits our roster.”

The Tigers already have four scholarship quarterbacks on their roster, including Nussmeier, redshirt freshman Rickie Collins, junior AJ Swann and freshman Colin Hurley. Swann transferred to LSU from Vanderbilt last offseason, while Collins and Hurley were four-star recruits.

A developmental leap from any of the three could put them in position to become LSU’s next starting quarterback. But if that doesn’t happen and Nussmeier decides to leave for the NFL this offseason, the Tigers will have no choice but to enter the portal for a new signal caller.

LSU wasn’t aggressive in the portal last offseason, but Kelly said that would change this winter, especially with the impending implementation of revenue sharing across college football – which Kelly believes will begin this summer – and Underwood will no longer affect his zero budget.

LSU offered Underwood $1.5 million annually in zero money, sources familiar with the deal told The Advocate. CBS Sports reported in early November that Michigan had offered Underwood a no-cost deal worth a total of around $10 million.

“We’ve really put ourselves in a position, and I use that term in the loosest sense, to stay well under the cap, so we could be pretty aggressive this year,” Kelly said.

As for the rest of the LSU roster, Kelly noted that “the overall roster is much more important than a specific position.” He’s right; The Tigers have personnel questions for 2025 and beyond that don’t just affect quarterback.

Even without Underwood, the rest of LSU’s class addresses many of these potential deficiencies on the roster. The Tigers have commitments at every position except quarterback and specialists.

But quarterback is the most important position in sports for a reason. Nussmeier returning to LSU for a fifth season doesn’t change the reality that the Tigers need to find the next guy in line sooner rather than later.

“If we actually end up signing a quarterback, that’ll be great,” Kelly said. “But I think our eye is on the strength of the entire squad.”

Staff writer Wilson Alexander contributed to this report.