This Sentell’s Intel rep on Georgia football recruiting has the latest with 4-star UGA commit Colton Nussmeier. He’s the nation’s No. 17 QB and the No. 216 overall prospect for 2027 on the 247Sports Composite. The Rivals Industry Ranking has him as the No. 17 QB and No. 215 overall.
Family ties.
That’s the first read to describe what the Georgia football program is getting in 4-star QB commitment Colton Nussmeier.
He’s a lefty for all those David Greene fans out there. His ball will spin the other way. Nussmeier stands not quite 6 feet, 4 inches and weighs 210 pounds.
Nussmeier has a much different background than the typical future UGA signal caller. His father, Doug, is the offensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints.
He’s spent 11 years as an NFL assistant. This fall will be his 12th season as an offensive coordinator in college or pro football. His father has called plays at Florida and Michigan, but the unique wrinkle here is he was at Alabama from 2012-2013.
He was on staff with future Georgia coach Kirby Smart. Those two won a national title together under Nick Saban.
It’s rare to identify a future Georgia player who knew Smart and his family before he became head coach at Georgia. Especially one where the connection doesn’t come from Smart’s playing days in Athens.
“He was with him at Alabama,” Colton Nussmeier said. “I’ve known Kirby for a while. It is kind of a full-circle moment. I grew up with his kids. I know his kids. Growing up with someone that my Dad knows. My mom is friends with his wife. Just knowing what I’m getting from who is going to be my head coach and just knowing he’s a great guy and I’ve known a lot about him.”
The Nussmeier family business is quarterbacking. His father played five years in the NFL after a prolific college career at Idaho, where he won the Walter Payton Award. That hardware is presented annually to the top player in NCAA Division I-AA. He threw for 10,824 yards during his collegiate career with the Vandals.
Garrett Nussmeier, his older brother, was just picked by the Kansas City Chiefs in the seventh round of the NFL Draft. He was the starting QB for 23 of the 40 games he played for LSU.
While it may seem like a trivial story, Garrett was with Colton for his official visit to UGA last month. The picture below sums up the moment.
Peep his older LSU Tiger bro in the back right of that family picture. He’s wearing a UGA polo. Did Colton have to buy him a new PING driver or promise to wash his car every week for a month to get him in that?
“He just did it to support me,” Colton Nussmeier said.
It was a family thing. Not many SEC siblings would do something like that.
“We went to the store to get some gear and then we went back to the hotel,” Colton Nussmeier said. “We were coming down to the lobby for dinner. I’m down there, and he comes down in a Georgia polo, and I was pretty surprised, but yeah, it was pretty funny.”
For the record, Garrett’s shoulders did not burn while rocking the “Power G.”
“He said it felt weird,” Colton Nussmeier said.
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Colton Nussmeier made big news in June
Nussmeier created two sets of headlines last month. The first was his commitment to UGA. Why did he choose the Dawgs?
“It is everything,” he said. “I get to go to school at Georgia. Play football at Georgia. The whole staff. Get to play for Kirby Smart. Coach [Mike] Bobo. All of them. Just growing up. Watching them on TV. Seeing a big program winning games. Winning national championships. It is just very exciting for me to be a Georgia Bulldog.”
The second wave was a tougher news cycle. He’d moved from a Marcus High program which won five games last season to a Denton Ryan team that is an annual state title contender.
The UIL, the governing body of the Texas high school athletic association, placed that under review. After a lengthy process and an appeal, it was determined that he moved for athletic reasons. The UIL ruled him ineligible for his senior season.
That currently leaves Nussmeier looking for a new home. Senior years are special, but the need to play this fall is enhanced for Nussmeier. He had an injury-plagued junior season and only saw action in eight games.
There’s the possibility he could find a new school to play for in Texas or Georgia. The New Orleans Metro area is also a possibility given his father’s employment with the Saints.
He wants to play somewhere this fall to have that senior season. Players want to play.
“I’m just trusting God,” Nussmeier said. “I know he’s got a plan. You know stuff happens for a reason. I’m just going to trust him and keep praying and good things will happen.”
He’s spent the last month serving as a dedicated recruiter for the class. He worked on the flip from 4-star receiver Jamir Dean from Penn State. He also tried to help with 5-star WR Eric McFarland III, but he ultimately chose Texas A&M.
The 4-star has been active on social media with all UGA targets.
“I’m part of the staff now recruiting-wise,” Nussmeier said. “I’ve got to recruit the best to get people around me to go win a national championship.”
Why Colton Nussmeier fits Georgia football
Nussmeier understands the expectations of the position and what it takes to start at the highest levels of the game. His older brother Garrett had to wait his turn for two seasons at LSU behind future first-round draft pick Jayden Daniels.
He will put in the work to understand the offense at an intricate level. The connections his family has with Kirby Smart will add some familiarity.
Nussmeier also came to UGA at a unique time for recruiting the quarterback room. With 5-star Jared Curtis as a longtime solid commitment for the 2026 cycle, the Dawgs weren’t seriously considering an elite QB target for the 2027 cycle.
When Curtis abruptly flipped to Vanderbilt at the 11th hour last December, it put the Dawgs about six months behind in recruiting the elite 2027 QBs. Nussmeier also wasn’t Georgia’s first choice for the position once serious evaluations began back in January.
There were other names higher up the list. That’s to be expected given that Nussmeier is still only regarded around the No. 15 to No. 17 QB prospects in this class as far as the rankings go.
When it came down to making his decision, he was considering opportunities at schools like Arkansas, Kentucky, Georgia, and UCLA. The path here feels a lot like what redshirt freshman Ryan Montgomery endured as he waited for his opportunity to join the 2025 class.
“My whole process, Georgia was one of my top schools the whole time,” Nussmeier said. “I’ve always liked them and their whole staff. Their staff has been there for a while, and I’m sure they are going to stay there for a while. I hope they do.”
The Bulldogs offered him a scholarship during his sophomore year, in basketball season. He had to wait until Georgia gave him the green light as being the guy they wanted for this cycle.
“They are going to recruit, too,” Nussmeier said. “They are going to find the guys that they like and try to get them. [I] just waited my turn and knowing I was the guy, I pulled the trigger.”
His “why” for playing the game is different than most, given his family connections to the sport. He actually started out playing receiver in football before moving to quarterback in fifth grade.
The lefty also played baseball, basketball and soccer growing up.
“The love for the game of football was just different than the others,” he said. “Playing the game brings me joy. It is my happy place. I think God has a plan for me and that’s my reason. That’s my why.”
According to MaxPreps.com, he completed 60 percent of his passes for 1,390 yards, 12 touchdowns and just one interception. He also ran for 278 yards and three scores. He had a long run of 51 yards. That shows he’s got a bit more wiggle and foot speed than his older brother flashed at LSU.
What does his film say about his game?
“I’m a pocket passer, but I wouldn’t even say that,” Nussmeier said. “I have legs. I’m pretty fast. I’m physical. I can extend plays really well, I feel like. I process very well in my ability to extend plays and run the ball. I can throw the ball. I can do it all.”
Check out what he meant by that in his junior tape below. Like most talented QBs, he loves to throw the deep ball.
