Colton Nussmeier knows what it takes to get Alabama football’s attention. He once had a front row seat to the Crimson Tide.
Colton Nussmeier, the son of former Alabama offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier, said his first college football memories came in Tuscaloosa, watching his father help lead quarterback A.J. McCarron and the Crimson Tide to a national championship in 2012.
What Colton Nussmeier saw in those practices had a lasting effect. It’s what helped him fall in love with the game of football.
“Just really how much hard work they put into it, and how they want to see each other succeed,” Nussmeier told the Tuscaloosa News. “Just the family of it all.”
Colton Nussmeier grew up in a football family. His father, Doug, is the quarterbacks coach of the Super Bowl-bound Philadelphia Eagles. His brother, Garrett, will return for his second season as LSU’s starting quarterback in 2025.
Now, Colton Nussmeier’s football story is just starting, securing an offer from the Crimson Tide on Monday, adding to the list of major SEC powers vying for the 2027 quarterback’s attention.
A 6-foot-3, 180-pound quarterback out of Flower Mound, Texas, Nussmeier had 1,939 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and three interceptions in his first season as a starting quarterback for Marcus High School per 247Sports, a season that has earned him offers from programs such as Georgia, Auburn and LSU.
“I think I can read defenses pretty well and be able to extend plays, make plays with my legs,” Nussmeier said of what college programs have liked about him. “I have a strong arm and can put it wherever I want to at any time.”
Alabama offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Nick Sheridan first contacted Nussmeier a year ago with one high school varsity start under his belt. Instead of offering immediately, Nussmeier said Sheridan wanted to see “what I could do” with a full season.
“They watched my tape and studied me and saw what kind of player I am,” Nussmeier said. “I guess, now they just wanted to pull the trigger.”
An Alabama offer “felt awesome,” Nussmeier said, coming from a “big program that takes (football) very seriously and wants to win.”
It’s the kind of football Nussmeier said his father has trained him and his brother on, learning to be humble, to not settle and to continue working no matter what.
As a 2027 recruit, Nussmeier’s ability to connect with Alabama is limited. But he said he wants to attend a spring practice in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama has two 2027 commitments in four-star defensive end Jabarrius Garror and Georgia athlete Alexander Ward.
Nussmeier, the No. 14 player in the class per 247Sports’ composite rankings, is one of two 2027 quarterbacks offered by Alabama along with Trent Seaborn out of Alabaster.
As his recruitment ramps up, Nussmeier said his love for football continues to grow, fueling his desire to follow in the footsteps of his dad and his brother.
And while Nussmeier’s first memories are of his father coaching at Alabama, he said his father is not playing favorites in his recruitment.
“He wanted whatever is best for my brother,” Nussmeier said. “He wants the same for me, and he wants us to pick the best school that fits us.”
