When new offensive coordinator/QB coach Rhett Lashlee was hired at Miami two weeks back, one of his first orders of business was to find a QB for the 2021 class. After spending the past two seasons at SMU, Lashlee has developed ties to the state of Texas, a state known for producing quality QB prospects, and he made his first attempt to cash in on those connections by offering Marcus (TX) 4-star QB Garrett Nussmeier last week.
“When coach Lashlee went to Miami, I was kind of expecting it to happen,” Nussmeier said of the offer. “It was just a matter of time. He told me to call him one day, we got on the phone, and he offered me. It was cool - I know a good bit about the U, I know the U’s always going to have some swagger to it. It’s a place where if you get the right guys, you have a chance to go win a championship.”
The bond between Lashlee and Nussmeier has been building for what is going on two years now, and the Texas gunslinger has plenty of positive words to say about the former SMU coach.
“I’ve been over to SMU when he was there a few times, he’s been to my school a bunch,” Nussmeier said of Lashlee. “He’s seen me throw a lot, I thought we had a pretty decent relationship. He’s a really good, smart coach, and I really like his offense. He’s really player-friendly and I have a lot of respect for him as a coach.”
In fact, Nussmeier feels the offensive system the Canes will be running under Lashlee is something that attracts him to Miami. With the type of offensive success that comes with 3,788 yards, 38 TD's, and a 67% completion percentage as a junior, Nussmeier is looking for a style that can help him keep that momentum going at the college level.
“What coach Lashlee mentioned to me was that he was going to score a lot of points and win a lot of games, give some swagger back to that offense,” Nussmeier said. “He’s repeated to me over and over again that I’m the perfect fit for his offense, he thinks I can run it and do it the right way.”
It’s not just Lashlee that draws Nussmeier to the Miami program, though.
“I like the location, it’d be kind of cool to play football in South Florida I think, it might be a lot of fun,” Nussmeier said. “I also know that it’s a prestigious university with a chance to play really good football. Regardless of the school, I’ve been very thankful to have been given opportunities to play big-time football, and so that’s just another one of the schools I’m very thankful to have the opportunity to play at.”
Garrett’s father Doug is currently the QB coach for the Dallas Cowboys, and, as a coach’s son, Garrett has moved around a lot and has lived in many parts of the country – he’s changed residences 9 times by his count. That’s why Garrett says living far from his current Texas home or his original hometown of Lake Charles, Louisiana won’t be an issue for him.
“It’s been fun moving around. It’s definitely made me into a better person, a better quarterback, just as far as my leadership,” Nussmeier said. “It’s helped me understand how different people work, how to take over different rooms. Every room has different moods. It’s been a tremendous help. I wouldn’t trade it for the world, moving 9 times - it was definitely worth it. Moving so many times, I’ve always just adjusted. There’s no staying home for me or anything like that.”
While it seems UM is in solid standing with Nussmeier as of now, other Power 5 schools around the nation won’t make this easy for the Canes. A top group or leaders are out of the question at this stage of the recruiting game for the 6’2” 170 pound prospect, but Nussmeier has a list of seven schools that he’s hearing from the most.
“I hear just about from every school that’s offered me that doesn’t have a commit,” Nussmeier said. “The schools I’d say I talk to the most are probably LSU, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Missouri, Arizona State, Purdue. Those schools I’d say I probably hear from the most as of right now.”
Nussmeier wants to take visits to multiple schools, including Miami, in the next few months ahead of a spring decision, but he has no dates set right now. Although he was invited, Nussmeier won’t be able to make UM’s junior day event next weekend due to a prior obligation.
“My timeline was to commit around Easter, but by the looks of it, it might be a little bit later,” Nussmeier said. “I won’t take officials, I’ll take unofficials and then I’ll take one official when I’m committed.”
With a father that both played and coached the QB position at the highest level, it’s clear Nussmeier will be focused on the program he believes will most ready him for the NFL.
“I just want a place where I think I could be developed and continue to get reps,” he said. “I don’t want to go somewhere and get stuck for 2 years. I want to not necessarily start, but I want to get reps, I want to continue to grow. I want to trust the strength and conditioning program can build me into someone I want to be by my junior or senior year for the next level.”
“When coach Lashlee went to Miami, I was kind of expecting it to happen,” Nussmeier said of the offer. “It was just a matter of time. He told me to call him one day, we got on the phone, and he offered me. It was cool - I know a good bit about the U, I know the U’s always going to have some swagger to it. It’s a place where if you get the right guys, you have a chance to go win a championship.”
The bond between Lashlee and Nussmeier has been building for what is going on two years now, and the Texas gunslinger has plenty of positive words to say about the former SMU coach.
“I’ve been over to SMU when he was there a few times, he’s been to my school a bunch,” Nussmeier said of Lashlee. “He’s seen me throw a lot, I thought we had a pretty decent relationship. He’s a really good, smart coach, and I really like his offense. He’s really player-friendly and I have a lot of respect for him as a coach.”
In fact, Nussmeier feels the offensive system the Canes will be running under Lashlee is something that attracts him to Miami. With the type of offensive success that comes with 3,788 yards, 38 TD's, and a 67% completion percentage as a junior, Nussmeier is looking for a style that can help him keep that momentum going at the college level.
“What coach Lashlee mentioned to me was that he was going to score a lot of points and win a lot of games, give some swagger back to that offense,” Nussmeier said. “He’s repeated to me over and over again that I’m the perfect fit for his offense, he thinks I can run it and do it the right way.”
It’s not just Lashlee that draws Nussmeier to the Miami program, though.
“I like the location, it’d be kind of cool to play football in South Florida I think, it might be a lot of fun,” Nussmeier said. “I also know that it’s a prestigious university with a chance to play really good football. Regardless of the school, I’ve been very thankful to have been given opportunities to play big-time football, and so that’s just another one of the schools I’m very thankful to have the opportunity to play at.”
Garrett’s father Doug is currently the QB coach for the Dallas Cowboys, and, as a coach’s son, Garrett has moved around a lot and has lived in many parts of the country – he’s changed residences 9 times by his count. That’s why Garrett says living far from his current Texas home or his original hometown of Lake Charles, Louisiana won’t be an issue for him.
“It’s been fun moving around. It’s definitely made me into a better person, a better quarterback, just as far as my leadership,” Nussmeier said. “It’s helped me understand how different people work, how to take over different rooms. Every room has different moods. It’s been a tremendous help. I wouldn’t trade it for the world, moving 9 times - it was definitely worth it. Moving so many times, I’ve always just adjusted. There’s no staying home for me or anything like that.”
While it seems UM is in solid standing with Nussmeier as of now, other Power 5 schools around the nation won’t make this easy for the Canes. A top group or leaders are out of the question at this stage of the recruiting game for the 6’2” 170 pound prospect, but Nussmeier has a list of seven schools that he’s hearing from the most.
“I hear just about from every school that’s offered me that doesn’t have a commit,” Nussmeier said. “The schools I’d say I talk to the most are probably LSU, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Missouri, Arizona State, Purdue. Those schools I’d say I probably hear from the most as of right now.”
Nussmeier wants to take visits to multiple schools, including Miami, in the next few months ahead of a spring decision, but he has no dates set right now. Although he was invited, Nussmeier won’t be able to make UM’s junior day event next weekend due to a prior obligation.
“My timeline was to commit around Easter, but by the looks of it, it might be a little bit later,” Nussmeier said. “I won’t take officials, I’ll take unofficials and then I’ll take one official when I’m committed.”
With a father that both played and coached the QB position at the highest level, it’s clear Nussmeier will be focused on the program he believes will most ready him for the NFL.
“I just want a place where I think I could be developed and continue to get reps,” he said. “I don’t want to go somewhere and get stuck for 2 years. I want to not necessarily start, but I want to get reps, I want to continue to grow. I want to trust the strength and conditioning program can build me into someone I want to be by my junior or senior year for the next level.”
