LSU Football: Why Rettig and Jennings Should Be Better Than Jefferson and Lee

Quick! Who is the most scrutinized LSU football player over the past decade?

Now, of course, I don’t have the exact statistics for this question. If I had to take an educated guess, I would say that the correct answer would be former LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson, followed shortly by his partner in crime, Jarrett Lee.

After both Lee and Jefferson departed in 2012, LSU fans seemed to rejoice. A new era would begin in Baton Rouge with the quarterback position.

Now, more than five years after Jefferson and Lee arrived to LSU as freshmen, in comes another quarterback duo with equally high expectations placed upon them.

Hayden Rettig and Anthony Jennings couldn’t be more opposite, outside of the position they play.

Rettig is a pro-style quarterback from Los Angeles. He is known for his strong arm and pinpoint accuracy.

Jennings, on the other hand, is a dual-threat quarterback from Marietta, Georgia. He is known not only for his passing, but also his speed and ability to scramble and escape pressure in the pocket.

What they do have in common is that both Rettig and Jennings are mega recruits with huge expectations, as were Lee and Jefferson. Of course, we have yet to see how Rettig and Jennings can adapt to the college game, but both certainly look to be on the track to stardom.

Jennings, a 4-star prospect and the No. 6-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the nation according to Rivals.com, is already enrolled at LSU and plans to be a full participant in spring practices. He is one of several 2013 commitments to enroll early at LSU.

Rettig is as polished as they come. He has great size at 6'4" and 210 pounds, a cannon for an arm, and experience playing against big-time competition, growing up in Southern California. Rivals.com ranks Rettig as the No. 3 pro-style quarterback in the country and the No. 73 prospect overall in the Rivals100 rankings for the class of 2013.

Zach Mettenberger, the Tigers’ current starting quarterback, is the first pro-style quarterback to start a full season under Les Miles since Matt Flynn back in 2007. That season concluded with a National Championship.

Mettenberger will enter his senior season this year, but after that, the quarterback competition at LSU should be wide open for the taking.

Don’t be surprised to see both Rettig and Jennings on the field as soon as 2014.

And of course, don’t be surprised to see this duo lead the Tigers to something Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee could never quite do.

A National Championship victory.