LSU’s Colin Hurley Leaves Team Amid Ongoing Quarterback Struggles

BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU football redshirt freshman quarterback Colin Hurley has left the program for personal reasons, the university confirmed on Saturday. Hurley did not travel with the team last week to Tuscaloosa or participate in the game against Arkansas.

Hurley, who enrolled at LSU at the age of 16, has not seen any game action this season, having redshirted last year. He faced difficulties earlier this year as well, missing spring practice after a single-car accident in January, which required two months of rehabilitation in Florida.

With Hurley’s departure, the Tigers face a quarterback crisis. Starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier was unable to dress for the Arkansas game due to an aggravated oblique injury sustained during Thursday’s practice. Consequently, Michael Van Buren was the only scholarship quarterback available for the game.

Van Buren started the game against Arkansas and threw a game-winning touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter, leading LSU to a narrow victory. In a further twist, running back Ju’Juan Johnson has stepped in at quarterback during practices and has experience throwing the ball, as he was a record-setting high school quarterback in Louisiana.

The coaching staff at LSU is now tasked with adjusting their strategy in light of the personnel changes, as they prepare for the remainder of the season with limited options at the quarterback position.