The tradition of the No. 18 jersey began in 2003 with former LSU quarterback Matt Mauck and now 22 years later, another Tiger QB will don the coveted number.
Fifth year senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier will trade in his #13 jersey for the #18 this fall, making him the first Tiger quarterback since Mauck to wear the number.
If you’re unfamiliar with
the tradition, the No. 18 jersey is given annually to the player who best represents what it means to be a Tiger. Mauck started it, Jacob Hester popularized it, and since then some of the best Tigers in program history have worn the number like Richard Dickson, Brandon Taylor, Tre’Davious White, and Damone Clark. Last season the 18 jersey was worn by two players, Josh Williams and Greg Penn.
This is maybe the single biggest no-doubt, slam dunk No. 18 choices the program has ever made. Of all the years for a quarterback to wear 18, it should be this year and, more importantly, this quarterback.
Quarterbacks as highly touted as Nussmeier don’t sit on the bench for three years and wait their turn. Quarterbacks who have the type of success Nuss did in their draft-eligible year don’t come back for another season. Garrett Nussmeier is the exception and he’s everything right about college football. In this new world of college football where the sport is essentially NFL-lite and transfers are essentially hired mercenaries, Nussmeier is a throwback to what, say it with me now, COLLEGE football ought to be.
If you’re the superstitious type, Nuss being the first quarterback since Mauck to wear the 18 is significant because the tradition started in 2003, where LSU won its second ever national championship. Here’s hoping 22 years later history repeats itself.
