Why Myles Brennan could be LSU’s starting quarterback in 2017

During the 2016 season, the SEC saw four freshmen quarterbacks lead their respective teams. Those being Jalen Hurts at Alabama, Jacob Eason at Georgia, Jake Bentley at South Carolina and Shea Patterson at Ole Miss. Entering spring, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the LSU Tigers go young at the most pivotal position on offense with incoming recruit Myles Brennan.

LSU’s quarterback play in 2016 wasn’t pretty. Brandon Harris was supposed to take the next step and be effective, but he didn’t. Purdue transfer Danny Etling was decent for the Tigers, but was ineffective when it mattered most for the purple and gold (i.e., the Alabama and Florida games). This is where Brennan comes into play.

Brennan is coming to the Bayou as one of the most underrated quarterback recruits in the 2017 class.

The 6-foot-3, 182 pound signal caller is ranked as the No. 6 pro-style passer in this year’s class according to 247Sports, and Tiger fans should be elated to see what he can do after his senior season performance helped him earn accolades like Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year runner up and Mr. Football in the state as well.

Throughout his three year career at Saint Stanislaus High School, Brennan completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 15,027 yards and 188 touchdowns. Also, Brennan rarely turned the ball over, as he only threw 30 interceptions during that three-year span. Brennan also claimed a Mississippi State Championship, so he knows how to win big time games.

The reason why many believe Brennan will be a star with LSU is due to his intangibles. He is a natural born leader, possesses a strong arm and is surprisingly mobile. All these intangibles were flashed during the Under Armour All-American bowl practices and game last week.

During the practices leading up to the game, scouts raved about Brennan’s mobility. According to reports on Thursday’s practice, Brennan showed initial quickness and escaped pressure from some of the nation’s top edge rushers.

Brennan opened the game as Team Armour’s starting quarterback and he completed seven of 13 passes for 111 yards, leading all passers in the game. Not only that, but he came in second behind Texas A&M commit Kellen Mond in the QB skills challenge on Friday.

The quarterback position has been a polarizing topic among LSU faithful for years now. Tiger fans have been waiting for a signal caller to be able to help the offense turn the corner. Brennan’s flashing his intangibles in the Under Armour game should give the Bayou faithful hope.

While Brennan certainly showed what he is capable of against other top-rated recruits, he could be challenged by LSU’s other incoming freshman quarterback recruit Lowell Narcisse.

Narcisse is the nation’s No. 2 dual threat signal caller. He, along with Brennan, both impressed at the Elite 11 camp. However, for the past two seasons, Narcisse has been injury prone. Not only has Narcisse been ravaged by injuries, but recruiting sites have consistently graded out Brennan higher than him, which gives Brennan the advantage between the two.

Another thing that benefits Brennan’s chances to play right away is new offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s system. Canada’s reputation is a balanced offense and his past few quarterbacks have been traditional, under the center, type signal callers: Nathan Peterman, Jacoby Brissett, Pete Thomas and Brandon Mitchell. Brennan fits that mold perfectly.

While Etling will more than likely get the first crack to be the starter next season as Canada and LSU retool its offense, he will be tested this offseason. Even though Brennan won’t enroll early, expect him to be the one pushing Etling for the starting job because of his physical and mental prowess that should keep him in consideration if the offensive attack sputters early next fall.