Payton Thorne: "My Days At Michigan State Have Come To A Close"
Michigan State Football will have a new signal-caller leading the offense in 2023.
Redshirt senior quarterback Payton Thorne has confirmed with a social media post that he will not return to East Lansing this fall after entering the transfer portal on April 30th.
"Spartan Fans, I want to thank you for the support you've given me over these past four years," Thorne wrote in a farewell message. "Playing as a Spartan has been a blessing since day one. The relationships that I've developed over these past years will be some that last a lifetime.
"I've made countless memories at Michigan State that will never be forgotten. I will always be thankful for the opportunity that Coach Dantonio gave me to play here at this university. I would like to than Coach Tucker for these past few years as well. With that being said, life can change quick, and my days at Michigan State have come to a close. I leave this place knowing that I have given it everything I've got. I will forever be a Spartan. Go Green."
While a large portion of Michigan State's fanbase had grown disgruntled with Thorne after he struggled through the 2022 season, the fact of the matter is the Spartans are losing one of the most prolific passers in school history.
Thorne's 49 career touchdown passes rank fourth all-time in program history, while his 6,494 passing yards rank sixth all-time. The redshirt senior's career 60.9% completion percentage is the fifth-best mark in MSU history, and his 524 completions rank sixth.
After a breakout redshirt sophomore season in 2021, in which Thorne threw for a school-record 27 touchdown passes and the third-most passing yards in a single season (3,240), Michigan State's quarterback struggled through much of the 2022 season.
This spring, Thorne detailed his struggle with injuries throughout last season. That, combined with MSU's severe drop off in run production with the departure of Kenneth Walker III, led to a regression in Thorne's passing numbers a year ago. While he increased his completion percentage from 60.4% to 62.5%, Thorne saw his passing touchdowns decrease to 19 and his passing yards drop to 2,679 in 2022. He also threw 11 interceptions, one more than the previous season.
While Thorne's record-setting 2021 season is often overshadowed by Walker's exceptional All-American campaign at tailback, the quarterback had one moment that season much to himself when he led the Spartans back from an 11-point, fourth quarter deficit in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl against Pittsburgh. With Walker sitting out the bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft, Thorne shook off a poor first half to throw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to lead MSU to a 31-21 victory. He finished the game completing 29-of-50 pass attempts for 354 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
Despite being challenged for the starting quarterback role this spring by redshirt junior Noah Kim and redshirt freshman Katin Houser, Thorne's entry into the transfer portal last Sunday came as a major surprise to those who follow the program. Thorne was the perceived leader of the three-man QB battle following the Spartans' open practice on April 15.
The biggest gap between Thorne and his challengers was his experience. The redshirt senior has played in 29 games for the Green and White, making 26 career starts. Conversely, Kim has only attempted 19 career pass attempts, completing 14 of them (73.7%) for 174 yards and three touchdowns. Houser, meanwhile, has made just two career pass attempts in his young Spartan career.
Kim played very well in mop-up duty for the Spartans last season, and there is excitement for Houser, who is a former four-star prospect out of St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, Calif. Coming out of high school, Houser was considered the No. 215 overall prospect and No. 14 quarterback in the Class of 2022. Those two will continue the battle for Michigan State's starting quarterback job this summer and into fall camp. MSU will also be joined by four-star West Linn (Ore.) quarterback Sam Leavitt, the No. 310 overall player and No. 18 quarterback in the Class of 2023, this summer.
For an updated look at Michigan State's incoming and outgoing transfers, click here.
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