Mel Tucker expects 'fierce competition' between Michigan State QBs in 2023
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Michigan State football has plenty of question marks heading into the 2023 season after the Spartans limped through a disappointing 5-7 campaign last fall.
Will MSU's improved offensive line depth lead to better results at the line of scrimmage? Will the Spartans be able to run the ball better this season? Can Mel Tucker and his staff finally fix the pass defense?
In terms of wins and losses, the above questions may be the most important for the Spartans to answer in 2023. But there's a different question that most on-lookers are focused on this offseason.
Who's going to start at quarterback for Michigan State?
When Tucker opened the Spartans' spring football season on Monday with a press conference, he spent a lot of time talking about the quarterback competition that will take place in East Lansing over the next six months.
“We have a lot of competition at every position. Every position is open," Tucker said. "Some guys in our rep chart will start with the one’s, but it may not end up being that way. We’re going to play the best players and who’s most productive and who’s most consistent.”
Whether it's true or not, those who follow and cover Michigan State closely have the competition narrowed down to two candidates — incumbent starter Payton Thorne and redshirt freshman Katin Houser.
Redshirt junior Noah Kim, who played well in a backup role behind Thorne in 2022, has been mostly overlooked despite completing 73.7% of his throws for 174 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in mop-up duty against Akron, Minnesota and Ohio State.
While Thorne has two years of starting experience under his belt, Tucker said the redshirt senior has not displayed any sense of entitlement to the starting job in 2023.
“It’s very clear that the quarterback position is an open competition," Tucker said. "[Thorne] knows that and all of the quarterbacks know that. Competition is good. We have to play the players who give us the best chance to win, and quarterback is no different. He’ll be able to handle that and we’re expecting a pretty fierce competition during the spring and throughout the summer and into fall camp.”
Thorne's approach to the open quarterback competition is different than one might expect.
“I’m not competing against anybody in my position group," he said after MSU's first spring practice on Tuesday. "I’m competing against the defense – playing against the defense, breaking down the defense and being as good as I can be personally. And then, being a leader on our team and taking care of the guys around me and helping everybody else get better as well.”
Thorne noted that he once heard Tom Brady say in a documentary that he approached every season as if he needed to win the starting job again.
“If the greatest of all time is going into every season like his job is on the line, why isn’t everybody else," Thorne said. "For me, I’m just trying to prove myself to myself, my coaches and my teammates and getting better in every area that I can. I’ve got different areas that I’m focused on this year on getting better, so that’s what it’s going to come down to.”
What will be the determining factor for Tucker and offensive coordinator/QB coach Jay Johnson when it comes to choosing who will start under center next season?
“We’re looking at consistency in performance from all of our players," Tucker said. "That’s how you win. You perform consistently at a high level, at a winning level, day in and day out and you’re able to take it to games. That’s what we need at that position.”
Thorne was excellent in 2021 when he set a school record for touchdown passes in a single-season (27) and threw for the third-most yards in a season in school history (3,240).
However, with the departure of Doak Walker Award-winning tailback Kenneth Walker III and a steep decline in the Spartans' rushing production, Thorne struggled through a 2022 season which saw him throw more interceptions (11), fewer touchdowns (19) and for fewer passing yards (2,679) than the prior season.
"I didn’t play well enough last year, and that’s that," Thorne said.
Meanwhile, Houser spent the 2022 season as the third-string quarterback. He attempted only two passes all season, completing one for two yards.
Houser's candidacy is built primarily on his high school recruiting ranking and the arm talent he's displayed on film. He's a former four-star high school prospect who was ranked No. 215 overall and the No. 14 quarterback by the 247Sports Composite for the Class of 2022.
What will it take for Houser, or perhaps Kim, to unseat Thorne for the starting job?
“They have to be fierce competitors. They have to execute the offense. They have to lead and take command and take control," Tucker said of his younger quarterbacks. "Be efficient and do what we ask them to do. Each guy has to be productive and be efficient, and whoever we feel like gives us the best chance is who we’re going to go with.”
Thorne's advantage in the quarterback battle is experience. He's played the position at a high level before, and he also knows what it feels like to battle through adversity when things don't go as expected.
Houser's draw is his upside. His arm strength and accuracy stand out on film. He was labeled "Michigan State's quarterback of the future" the moment he signed his letter of intent to play here.
Does the future begin in 2023, or does Thorne get the opportunity to bounce back from his disappointing 2022 season as well?
"Competition is good in every area of your life," Thorne said. “If you are continually pushed by others around you every day, that can only help people and get rid of any complacency that anybody may have…You’ve got to put your best foot forward and that’s good for everybody.”
Quarterback is the most visible and often the most impactful position on the football field, but the reality is that Michigan State needs better play from multiple positions in 2023.
Regardless of whether the Spartans trot out Thorne, Hauser or even Kim with the first-team offense, the starting quarterback will need more help from his offensive line and tailbacks in the run game. Competition is underway at those positions as well in East Lansing.
“This is a time for us to start that process of seeing and find out who’s going to have what roles and continue to build our program," Tucker said. "And then, [we'll] take it into the summer and fall camp. Spring ball is a big part of the process.”
