Kirk Herbstreit praised Garrett Nussmeier and Miller Moss for not transferring: ‘Sitting and waiting is not a bad thing.’
Garrett Nussmeier and Miller Moss took the road less traveled. They were the quarterbacks that DIDN’T transfer. And opting to be the guys after Heisman winners Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels left for the NFL has paid off. At a time when patience is no longer a virtue in college football, there’s something to be said about LSU and USC’s starting quarterbacks being the guys that stuck around.
“Hey, young quarterbacks out there, I want you to pay attention to one thing, and that’s that everybody’s in a different situation,” Kirk Herbstreit said as he battled the noise from the crowd. “You got two quarterbacks out there right now that have sat around and paid their dues, watched, listened, paid attention, and learned and developed in the shadows. They didn’t leave because they were frustrated after a year or two.” Herbstreit reiterated that statement during Sunday night’s broadcast of USC’s thrilling 27-20 victory.
“They waited and patiently got better, so when their time came, whether it’s a third-year or a fourth-year, they’re in the same system and a chance to become the guy. We’re seeing two examples of that tonight. It’s different in this position than most positions. Sitting and waiting is not a terrible thing.”
Although Nussmeier and Moss were both ranked as top-20 quarterbacks and four stars in their respective classes, not all of the 2021 recruiting class would have performed in the same way. Quinn Ewers, Caleb Williams, Sam Huard, Brock Vandagriff, Kaidon Salter, Kyle McCord, Ty Thompson, Tyler Buchner, Eli Stowers, Jaxson Dart, Jake Garcia, and Kyron Drones have all since transferred from the original programs they committed to.
It’s worth noting that Dart and Moss committed to USC before Lincoln Riley became the head coach at Southern Cal. Riley brought Williams with him from Oklahoma, while Dart left for Ole Miss. Moss, being a California kid from Mission Hill, stayed put. It all worked out for the aforementioned quarterbacks, but it doesn’t always work out as perfectly.
At least not initially, Nussmeier’s situation did not turn out that way. Although he had to wait behind Jayden Daniels, it appears that his perseverance and choice to stay put as the quarterback for another team paid off. In Week 1, he and Moss both appeared to be potential NFL Draft picks.
Nussmeier completed 29 of 38 passes for 304 yards with two touchdowns against an interception, while Moss completed 27 of 36 passes for 378 yards and a touchdown. Furthermore, even though Kelly claimed that Moss outperformed his quarterback, it’s undeniable that both quarterbacks looked good on Sunday night in Las Vegas.
“They look like seasoned veterans, and they stayed within a program; they’ve learned their teammates,” he talked about. “Their teammates look at them and say, ‘OK, our guys from last year are gone; you’re our guy now.'” And you know what? We’ve seen you in the weight room at 6 a.m. for the last three years. We recognize what you’ve put into this. We understand the effort you put into this program. You’re our guy, and we believe in you. It’s a fantastic reminder to a lot of guys watching across the country.”
