Tucker: Michigan State’s QB battle a ‘three-man race’ heading into fall camp
After incumbent starting quarterback Payton Thorne transferred to Auburn, it appeared Michigan State’s QB competition would be simplified.
Redshirt junior Noah Kim and redshirt freshman Katin Houser battled Thorne throughout spring practice, and with Thorne taking his hat out of the race it seemed like the competition was down to two. However, at Big Ten Media Days, head coach Mel Tucker was not ready to count out true freshman Sam Leavitt.
“No, it’s a three-man race,” Tucker said.
Leavitt, a member of the Spartans’ 2023 recruiting class, did not go through Michigan State’s spring practice as an early enrollee. He joined the program in May with the other non-early entry freshmen to begin summer conditioning. In most circumstances, not going through spring practice would eliminate a quarterback from contention for the starting job, but Tucker said Leavitt will battle alongside Kim and Houser in fall camp.
“Sam is a very, very confident guy,” Tucker said. “He’s got some high goals. He was clear in recruiting that he wanted to come in and play as a freshman, and that’s his goal. We told him the competition was going to be open for all of those guys, so we’ll see how it goes. We have 25 practices before the first game.”
What would it take for the true freshman to earn the starting job after just three and a half months on campus?
“He didn’t have the spring so he’s got to come in, he’s got to learn what to do,” Tucker said of Leavitt. “He’s got to learn the offense. He’s got to gain the trust of his teammates. He’s got to be able to execute on a consistent basis better than the other two guys.”
Despite Tucker’s assertion that Leavitt is a starting option for the Spartans this fall, Kim is the oddsmakers favorite to take MSU’s first offensive snap on Sept. 1 against Central Michigan. Tucker was highly complimentary of the redshirt junior at media days.
“Noah is a tremendously talented young man,” Tucker said. “He's a winner. He's got a lot of arm talent. He's very poised. He's very athletic. He's one of the fastest players on our team. He's one of the fastest players on our team. He's got some experience.”
Tucker noted that Kim has the most experience of the three competitors, having appeared in four games for the Spartans last season in a backup role to Thorne. Kim took 38 snaps and completed 14-of-19 pass attempts (77.3%) for 174 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions.
“When he went in games last season, as you remember, he made it look easy,” Tucker said of Kim. “He's got the demeanor we're looking for. He's a guy that knows our offense, and he's going to do what we ask him to do. He's going to execute.”
Still, Kim’s experience is still limited, and the reps the redshirt junior got in 2022 are certainly not too much for Houser or Leavitt to overcome in fall camp. Other factors outside of past experience will be taken into account in determining Michigan State’s starting quarterback.
“Consistency…[and] having control over the offense,” redshirt senior wide receiver Tre Mosley pointed to as the differentiating factor he’s looking for out of the eventual starting QB.
“As a quarterback, you have to be able to have control,” Mosley added. “I know that sometimes can be difficult for a guy stepping into a starting role, to take on that challenge, but to be the starting quarterback the offense and the team itself is going to have to be able to get behind you and trust everything you say and everything you do.”
The program’s three core principles – Toughness, Discipline and Selflessness – will be the the determining factor for Tucker and the offensive coaching staff.
“Our quarterback has to be our number one competitor,” the head coach said. “I like the way the guys have approached it. We have very talented guys in that room. It’s a healthy competition, but we’re going to play the best player. We don’t know who that is at this point.”
Asked whether Michigan State would announce the starting quarterback ahead of the season-opener against Central Michigan, or keep the decision private until the first offensive snap, Tucker was non-committal.
“I’m not sure,” he said. “A couple years ago, I don’t think anyone knew who the starting quarterback was going to be going into that Northwestern game. So, it may be that. We’ll have to see.”
Michigan State had excellent balance with its offensive attack in 2021, with the threat of Kenneth Walker III drawing so much attention that Thorne and the Spartans became deadly with the play-action pass. With that run threat gone in 2022, Thorne struggled to consistently move the offense down the field.
With one of the worst rush offenses in the Big Ten a year ago, MSU was too dependent on its starting quarterback to have to push the offense forward in unfavorable situations. The goal in 2023 is to take some of that pressure back off the quarterback.
“We just need someone to go in there and do what we ask them to do,” Tucker said. “Lead, run the offense, take what the defense gives them. If it’s not there, hit the check down runner or knock the beer out of someone’s hands in the stands. Throw it away, go to the next play. Play complimentary football and don’t try to do too much.”
The quarterback who can do that most consistently over the next four weeks of fall camp will be the guy who trots out onto the field with the first-team offense on Sept. 1 against the Chippewas.
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