Michigan State football: QB competition officially a 2-man race

Payton Thorne has entered the transfer portal which means Michigan State football will have a two-man quarterback race.

Although fans have been harsh on Payton Thorne over the past year, he did a lot for the Michigan State football program.

Thorne guided Michigan State through a coaching change and a tough COVID-19 year with a strong performance in his first start against Penn State. He then took over as a starter in 2021 and led Michigan State to 11 wins, including a Peach Bowl victory. After that season, he remained the starter and went just 5-7 in 2022, but he fought through injuries and inconsistent offensive line play.

Now, he’s in the transfer portal.

The two-year starter was in the middle of a quarterback battle this spring with Katin Houser and Noah Kim and some felt like he proved himself in the open practice on April 15, but apparently he didn’t feel good enough about his situation.

With him officially in the portal, that means that Michigan State is down to a two-man race for QB1.

Unfortunately, tougher news hit right after Thorne entered the portal as Keon Coleman is reportedly entering as well which means the Spartans could be looking for a new WR1 as well.

So the starting quarterback will have a tall task ahead of him in 2023.

Down to just Houser and Kim, however, I think the offense has a chance to take a step forward next season. Two younger guys with arguably higher ceilings should be able to right the ship.

And although I think Sam Leavitt is a very talented quarterback, I don’t think the true freshman is going to have a say in the battle right away. He could potentially push Houser or Kim next year, however. But he’s still an injury or two away from being a very important player for the Spartans.

Although Sunday brought some eye-opening news, we are one step closer to figuring out who the starting quarterback will be.