Why Lowell Narcisse will not surpass Myles Brennan at QB

Now that Danny Etling has taken his his final snaps as an LSU quarterback, the Tigers have set their sights on selecting someone to take his place as the starter for next season.

The favorable candidate is none other than freshman quarterback Myles Brennan, who gave Etling a run for his money all year long.

But talks of Lowell Narcisse having a serious shot at the job have heated up lately. Sure, Narcisse has been impressive in practice and is recovering nicely after tearing his second ACL in August of 2016. However, this doesn’t mean he’s going to climb the depth chart so quickly.

Both Brennan and Narcisse were recruited highly, and they’re both very talented athletes.

The two are somewhat similar in terms of arm strength, but Brennan’s definitely got the edge in the accuracy battle. He’s the better passer of the two.

Perhaps the biggest advantage Brennan currently holds is the fact he has real experience on the field for LSU. While light, Brennan saw action against BYU, Chattanooga, Syracuse, Troy, Alabama and Texas A&M this season. He completed 14 of 24 passes for 182 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions.

It’s fair to say Brennan has a firmer handle on the offense at this point than Narcisse does because of this. Quarterbacks Justin McMillan and Narcisse have just one pass attempt between them to show for their LSU careers.

The main point Narcisse supporters tend to cling to is the notion LSU must have a dual threat quarterback to beat a team like Alabama. Really, there’s not much basis for that claim. Not to mention, when you look at the Tigers’ history at the position, it’s clear they’ve not found much success with dual-threat quarterbacks. Brandon Harris, who ultimately transferred to UNC, was the latest case of this.

Brennan has Narcisse beat to some extent in just about every category - arm strength, accuracy, mechanics and pocket presence. Really the only area Narcisse threatens to surpass him in is mobility, but Brennan is no statue either. He’s able to escape pressure, and make plays with his legs as needed. Good decision making and the ability to put the ball where it needs to be trump running ability always.

LSU will see a close competition for the starting position, but when it comes time for the Tigers to play the Hurricanes in 2018, it’ll be Brennan under center.