Garrett Nussmeier number change, explained: Why LSU QB switched to iconic No. 18 jersey for 2025 season

College football is founded on tradition. It can be a fight song that plays after a score, or it can be a specific way that players enter the field for the first time.

Program traditions range far and wide, but their purpose remains the same: to bind the current state of a team to its history. For some programs, there is an iconic number that has to be earned to be worn. It usually comes from a player in the team's history that helped them achieve great success, and a type of lore has been developed around the number. 

For LSU, that number is 18. It has been worn throughout the program's storied past, but the tradition stems from QB Matt Mauck wearing it in 2003, and leading LSU to its first national championship in 50 years. He wore No. 18, and since then, the number hasn't been retired. Instead, it has been reserved. The number is only awarded to a player who "is a great teammate and possesses all the intangibles that the coaching staff looks for to help lead the team."

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier had been wearing No. 13. In 2025, though, head coach Brian Kelly has awarded him No. 18, making him the first quarterback since Mauck to wear the number. 

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Here is more on why Nussmeier changed his number.

What is the meaning of LSU's No. 18 jersey

In 2003, LSU hadn't won a national championship in 50 years. It was an absurdly long drought for one of the most storied programs in the SEC. Then, Matt Mauck led them to the national championship in 2003 and a win over Oklahoma. The number has a lore surrounding it, but unlike No. 11 at Penn State, which is reserved for an outstanding linebacker, No. 18 at LSU is assigned every year to players of high character and leadership. It's important to note that the number doesn't always go to the most high-profile player, but to someone who can make an impact on and off the field. 

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Why was Garrett Nussmeier allowed to wear No. 18

Nussmeier came to LSU in 2021, straight out of high school. In an era of rampant transferring, he decided to sit behind Jayden Daniels and wait his turn. He finally took the helm in 2024 and finished with 4,052 yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Nussmeier is expected to take a step forward in 2025, and Kelly said he embodied the traits he was looking for in his No. 18: “focus, an attention to detail and overall leadership within the team.”

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Who was the last LSU player to wear No. 18

The No. 18 has been worn by at least one player every year since 2003. Sometimes it has been worn by two players -- one on offense and the other on defense. In 2024, two players wore No. 18. Linebacker Greg Penn III and running back Josh Williams. 

Penn finished with 84 tackles, the second-most on the team. He had 1.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. Williams had the second-most carries behind starting running back Caden Durham. The backup finished with 482 yards and six touchdowns on 117 carries. Williams added 263 yards through the air on 31 receptions. 

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History of LSU players awarded No. 18

Here is a list of who has won No. 18 at LSU since 2003.