Why MSU 2025 QB Leo Hannan Should Not Be Overlooked
Michigan State has its future at quarterback. Aidan Chiles is raw, but he showed that he was good as advertised in 2024. He has another year, maybe two, in East Lansing, barring transfer portal or early departure for the NFL Draft; the latter option would require a massive 2025 performance.
The foreseeable future belongs to Chiles. However, the Spartans may have already found the replacement for their electric dual-threat quarterback.
2025 signee Leo Hannan, a Servite (California) High School product, looks all of the part to take the reins and make a difference under the right tutelage. Hannan is a 6-foot-4, 210-pound quarterback who is mobile, though not a runner, with a very strong arm. He has the athleticism to escape the pocket, extend plays, and when needed, get a first down himself if things break down.
247Sports recruiting analyst Greg Biggins found a lot to like about the young quarterback.
"He has a lot of projectable tools and traits and is still just scratching the surface of where we think his game will be at down the road," Biggins wrote. "He has a big arm, can throw the deep outs and posts on a rope and shows the ability to make plays from the pocket as well as outside the pocket. He has a basketball background and moves around well for a big quarterback. Over the course of his junior season, you could see the game starting to slow down for him. He was making quicker decisions with the ball and showed a lot of poise under duress as well. He’s an easy Power 4 prospect and we like where his game is trending."
Strong arms and playmaking ability don't complete the whole picture, however. Speaking to Hannan this summer, I got the sense that his fierce competitive streak and work ethic will set him apart.
Why else would he choose a place that all but guarantees he won't get the starting job for potentially two seasons, barring injury?
"I think in college football you can't, you shouldn't go to a spot [just because] there's no guys on the depth chart, you should be able to compete wherever you go," Hannan had told me. "If you're really a competitor man, you're not gonna be scared of that. You gotta just understand that's part of football, that's part of the game. And if you really engage in the competition, and you love competition, then it will be fine."
There's something to be said about that attitude in this era of player mobility, NIL deals, and the instantaneous gratification a new generation of football players have been cultivated in. When describing a dominant performance early on in the season, he put the spotlight on his teammates.
""There was one play, I threw a screen, our first touchdown was a screen pass on the 30-yard line, threw to wide receiver Devan Parker, he's a class of 2026," Hannan said. "Absolute stud, he's gonna have a great year this year. He got some good YAC for me (yards after catch). Next drive, we went down the field, we were on the 3-yard line. Under center, threw a touchdown to my only senior receiver, Roger Kamel. It was a bang-post in the back of the endzone. Watched it drop. Then we threw a tight end screen to a kid named Luke Sorensen, absolute dog. He took that to the crib.
"My running back, stud running back, SDSU commit Quaid Carr -- ran a wheel route. Took that to the house."
When I spoke to Sorenson, a 2026 tight end who has a Spartans offer, he told me what he thought made Hannan so special.
"I'll see him make these plays ... he just slows the game down by himself," Sorenson said. "He does a good job of just finding the way to make the plays we need in a particular instance. He's a great leader and a great friend -- he is constantly working. I was just working out with him today, actually. He's always working, trying to get better.
"[Hannan] is not a guy you're going to forget about. He always going to be someone that is a strong presence."
Michael France is Sports Illustrated's Michigan State recruiting beat writer, covering all things Big Ten recruiting for Spartan Nation. Be sure to follow him on Twitter/X@michaelfrancesi for exclusive Spartans recruiting coverage.
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