All four former Michigan State football quarterbacks involved in starting battles this fall now know their fates.
Four former Michigan State football quarterbacks were battling for starting jobs this offseason and we now officially know the fate of each one.
The first battle wasn’t really much of one as Payton Thorne was named the starter at Auburn after being the QB1 there a year ago. He wasn’t quite challenged and this will be his last season of college football with the Tigers.
The next decided battle happened out west in the desert. Sam Leavitt, who began the 2023 season as QB3, went out and won the Arizona State starting job. He beat out guys like Jaden Rashada (transferred after the spring) and Jeff Sims (former Nebraska and Georgia Tech starter). He had the highest ceiling in the quarterback room last year and now he has a starting job in the Power Four. No surprise there.
Unfortunately, the next battle brought some bad news for a former Spartan as Katin Houser lost the starting job to Jake Garcia, a former blue-chipper who played for Miami and Missouri. This was a bit of a shock, but Garcia is far from a slouch.
On Monday, the final quarterback battle involving a former Spartan was decided as Coastal Carolina head coach Tim Beck said that he has made the decision on who will start the team’s first game on Thursday. He said that Ethan Vasko has a slight edge, but Noah Kim is right there. From the sounds of it, if he’s made a decision and Vasko has the edge, he’s likely the starter and Kim is probably the backup.
So worst-case scenario for the former Spartan quarterbacks, two guys are starting elsewhere in the Power Four and the two who went to the Group of Five will be waiting in the wings as backups.
Who would have thought that the QB3 to start the 2023 season would have the best outlook of the bunch?