Brian Kelly has 4 viable options for his first starting quarterback at LSU.

He said after the spring game Saturday that the pecking order is no clearer than it was before the game. If anything, he added, it was less clear.

But Kelly and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock have plenty of time to sort things out before one of them takes the first snap in the season-opener against Florida State on Sept. 4.

Each quarterback features a different combination of skills and degrees of experience and maturity.

The question that the players must answer for Kelly and Denbrock is: Which QB gives LSU the best chance in 2022?

Here’s a breakdown of each of the 4 candidates and one answer to the pivotal question:

Walker Howard

He’s a 5-star recruit who enrolled early and participated in spring practice. He has shown a strong arm and is a good athlete.

In the spring, he showed the inconsistency one might expect from someone just arriving on a college campus. He could be the starter down the road, but he’s not the best option to lead this team in 2022.

Garrett Nussmeier

He’s another strong-armed youngster, but he has a 1-year head-start on Howard.

Nussmeier played in 4 games as a true freshman last season and took nearly all of the snaps against Arkansas. He showed overall improvement during the spring and made the most big plays in the spring game.

If he continues to progress, especially with the mental aspects of the position, during the summer he’ll be a dark-horse candidate to win the starting job.

Jayden Daniels

The recent arrival through the transfer portal from Arizona State is the only true dual-threat option among the 4.

Kelly and Denbrock have said the offensive system remains a work in progress because it will be tailored to fit whoever becomes the starting quarterback. Daniels’ running ability would allow Denbrock to expand the contents of the playbook, but that doesn’t necessarily equate to him giving the Tigers the best chance.

The accuracy issues that plagued him with the Sun Devils were apparent during the spring game and he’ll have to adjust to periodically going under center after operating from the shotgun at ASU.

Theoretically, his running ability would allow LSU to utilize his skill in a special package if he doesn’t win the starting job, but Kelly seems disinclined to play multiple quarterbacks by design, calling it a “nightmare” after the spring game.

Myles Brennan

This is the 6th consecutive year that Brennan has been a part of LSU’s quarterback equation.

He backed up Danny Etling in 2017 and Joe Burrow in 2018 and 2019. He won the starting job in 2020 and had a record-setting 3-game run before missing the rest of the season due to injury. He appeared headed to beating out Max Johnson last year before suffering a broken non-throwing arm on the eve of preseason camp.

He never played before entering the transfer portal late in the season, then Kelly talked him into staying. The new head coach’s interest in Brennan showed he appreciated the quarterback’s value although Daniels hadn’t yet arrived.

The competition among 4 viable candidates should be a catalyst for continued improvement by each of them. If the eventual starter has to be replaced because of injury, ineffectiveness or any other reason, Kelly and Denbrock should feel comfortable that there won’t be a significant drop-off.

But in the meantime they have to select the starter.

The combination of experience in the program (though just 3 starts), maturity, talent, smarts and a proven ability to handle adversity make Myles Brennan LSU’s best option in 2022.