Michigan State Quarterbacks: One Thing I Like, One Thing I Don't
College football season is approaching fast, as we're just over two weeks away from Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis and roughly a month from the start of fall camps around the country.
Michigan State's roster appears to be set for the 2023 season, and that makes this the perfect time to take a look at every position group on the team. In this exercise, I'll point out one thing I like, one thing I don't and one thing to watch.
We'll begin with the most important position on the field: Quarterback
One Thing I Like
Even with the transfer of incumbent starter Payton Thorne this past spring, Michigan State has good depth at the quarterback position. Redshirt junior Noah Kim and redshirt freshman Katin Houser will battle for the starting spot in fall camp. No matter who wins the job, MSU should have a capable backup in either of these guys.
While limited in his opportunities, Kim completed 14-of-19 pass attempts (73.7%) for 174 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions last season in the backup role. Houser, meanwhile, was a four-star prospect coming out of high school and has a year of learning offensive coordinator Jay Johnson's system under his belt.
Michigan State added another talented freshman — four-star West Linn (Ore.) quarterback Sam Leavitt — as part of the 2023 recruiting class. Leavitt was ranked No. 311 overall and the No. 21 quarterback in his class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.
In the transfer portal era, it's difficult to maintain quality depth at quarterback, but the Spartans are in a good spot in that regard.
One Think I Don't
While I like what I saw from Kim in spot duty a year ago, as well as Houser's pedigree as a recruit, Michigan State will trot out a quarterback in 2023 who has zero starting experience. That's not necessarily a bad thing, new quarterbacks emerge across the country every year, but until we see one of these guys play against live competition we can't know for sure what to expect.
Head coach Mel Tucker said this summer that the questions surrounding MSU's lack of experience at QB were asked about Thorne as well when he took over the Spartans' offense. That's true, but we also saw mixed results from Thorne each of the past two seasons. He was excellent in his first season as a starter, no doubt helped by the threat of Kenneth Walker III in the backfield, but struggled in 2022 due to injury and Michigan State's inability to establish a run game.
What happens if the Spartans still struggle to establish the run, AND have a quarterback who lacks the experience of Thorne? That's the concern.
Fortunately, whoever wins the job between Kim and Houser will have a couple of tune-up opportunities during the first two weeks against Central Michigan and Richmond. Those games are critical for the new starter to get his reps against a live defense.
One Thing To Watch
As stated above, Michigan State has good depth at quarterback this year, but it's difficult to maintain that depth at this position.
Tucker and Johnson's decision on who wins that starting job will have repercussions in the years to come. Kim is a redshirt junior and will have at least one more year of eligibility beyond 2023. Houser still has all four years of eligibility remaining, as does Leavitt.
If Kim wins the job, does Houser get impatient and enter the portal next offseason? If Houser wins the job, does Kim enter the portal after being jumped by an underclassman? What about Leavitt? If Houser wins the job, that likely establishes him as Michigan State's starter for multiple seasons going forward. Where does that leave Leavitt?
It's a complicated situation. Ultimately, Tucker and Johnson have to go with the guy they believe gives the Spartans the best chance to win this season. But that decision is sure to have a ripple effect on MSU's depth at quarterback. It'll be interesting to see how all of that plays out in the coming year.
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