Should Michigan State consider adding transfer portal quarterback?
The transfer portal officially opened on December 5th. Since then, over 1,100 players have submitted their names into college football’s free agency vortex – record numbers that were unthinkable until last year.
Now, the portal is a necessity for almost every college program, and players want to find a school where they can get on the field immediately, and be compensated for their efforts by NIL.
Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker was an early adopter of the transfer portal. He struck gold with Kenneth Walker III following the 2020 season, and he’s landed other instant-impact pieces like Jacoby Windmon.
About to enter his fourth season in East Lansing, Tucker still has some holdovers from the Dantonio era on his roster, including starting quarterback Payton Thorne. A member of the 2019 recruiting class, Thorne beat out another Tucker transfer addition – Anthony Russo – for the starting job in 2021.
Thorne set a single-season MSU touchdown record in 2021, and threw for the third-most single-season passing yards of any Spartan quarterback that year. However, perhaps no player on Michigan State’s roster was affected more by Walker’s departure for the NFL.
In 2022, Thorne had an up and down season, and it became clear that without a reliable run game, the second-year starter was not capable of elevating Michigan State’s offense alone.
A quarterback plays the most important role on an offense, and arguably on the team as a whole. While Thorne is a solid option for the Spartans going forward, his upside appears to be limited.
So, what does that mean for Michigan State in 2023?
The Dantonio era is in the past, and Thorne is one of the few recruits left who signed for the Spartans’ former head coach. Maybe Thorne is the right guy to lead MSU into next season, or perhaps its time for Tucker to establish one of his own guys at the starting quarterback position.
Looking at options beyond Thorne, the conversation starts with former four-star prospect Katin Houser. A native of Bellflower, Calif., Houser was ranked the No. 215 overall prospect and a Top 15 quarterback prospect in the class of 2022. That’s the type of quarterback prospect that Michigan State hasn’t landed since Drew Stanton in 2002.
But there are options beyond Houser at quarterback as well. Noah Kim – another Dantonio recruit – played well in spot duty this past season. Additionally, Tucker may look to the transfer portal to add to his quarterback depth as well. However, dipping into the portal at the quarterback position doesn’t come without risk. Thorne, Kim or even Houser could enter the transfer portal themselves if Tucker were to go that route.
Adding to the already complex situation is the fact that Michigan State does not have a quarterback committed to its 2023 recruiting class at the moment. The Spartans have gone all-in on trying to flip five-star Detroit (Mich.) King quarterback Dante Moore from Oregon, but that remains a tall task.
If Tucker and Co. fail to land Moore, the Spartans may not sign a quarterback at all during this recruiting cycle, which once again opens the possibility of taking on a transfer more likely.
The question becomes whether the motivation to bring in a transfer would be to provide depth, or if the newcomer would challenge Thorne, Kim and Houser for the starting spot.
Most coaching staffs prefer to have quarterbacks early enroll in January, giving them an opportunity to participate in spring practice and making them more comfortable in the fall. If Tucker is going to make a move for a quarterback, expect it to come quickly after signing day.
There have been no indicators that Thorne would leave Michigan State, but crazier things have happened. If Tucker brings in a transfer quarterback, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that the Spartans’ starting QB would consider a new home. Thorne’s dad, Jeff, was the offensive coordinator at Western Michigan in 2022, but will be seeking new employment after the Broncos fired head coach Tim Lester. Watching where the elder Thorne ends up is at least worth monitoring.
While we all know that Walker was the key component of what made the 2021 season so successful for Michigan State, we shouldn’t forget the contributions that Payton added to that team. It was a record-breaking year for Thorne, and should be remembered fondly. However, it’s up to Tucker and the offensive staff to determine if they have their guy at quarterback to continue moving this program in the right direction.
