The Michigan State Spartans football season will begin in 15 days when they take on the Central Michigan Chippewas. The Spartans will enter the season without their starting quarterback from last season Payton Thorne after he left and transferred to Auburn University to play for the Tigers in the Southeastern Conference.
Last season Thorne played in all 12 games for the Spartans, finishing with a 62.5 completion percentage and threw for 2,679 yards with 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, leading Michigan State to a 5-7 record and missing a bowl game for the first time since 2020 which was also the Spartans head coach Mel Tucker’s first season and they finished 2-5 in that season which was shortened due to Covid. With the first game on September 1st, the Spartans must decide who will be under center when they face the Chippewas to start the season. So, what options does Michigan State have?
Michigan State 2023 Quarterback Options:
Noah Kim – Redshirt Junior
Kim is currently the leader for the starting job, and he was with the Spartans last season; he played in four games finishing with a 73.7 completion percentage, and threw for 174 yards; he finished with three touchdowns and did not throw an interception. Kim played most of his time last season in a matchup against Ohio State in which he went six for ten for 82 yards, and he had a touchdown when he connected with Montorie Foster for a 25-yard touchdown pass.
Katin Houser – Redshirt Freshman
Houser was with the Spartans last season, and he appeared in one game attempting two passes; he completed one of the two for two yards, which came in a game against Akron, in which Michigan blew out the Zips 52-0. In his senior year in high school, Houser played in 11 games, finishing with a 64.8 completion percentage; he threw for 1,408 yards and had 12 touchdowns with two interceptions. Houser has impressed the Spartans coaches at camp to this point.
Sam Leavitt – Freshman
Leavitt is a true Freshman from Oregon who played his High School football at West Linn, Oregon. He led his high school to a 12-1 record and a Class 6A state title; he finished his senior season with 3,184 yards throwing and 36 touchdowns with a 69.7 completion percentage, and he rushed for 693 yards and eight touchdowns. He was the number one quarterback coming out of Oregon. Leavitt most likely won’t play much or at all for the Spartans this season.
Andrew Schorfhaar – Redshirt Junior
Schorfhaar has been a redshirt for his first two seasons at Michigan State, and in his senior year in high school, he threw for 1,657 yards and 19 touchdowns, as well as rushing for 1,004 yards and 14 touchdowns. He played for DeWitt High School in DeWitt, Michigan.
TL;DR (too long didn’t read)
- Michigan State’s Season starts September 1st vs. Central Michigan.
- Michigan State’s 2022 starting quarterback transferred to Auburn.
- Michigan State hasn’t announced a starting quarterback for 2023 yet.
- Michigan State has four options at quarterback, with Noah Kim and Katin Houser as the front runners.
- Sam Leavitt and Andrew Schorfhaar are the other two options for Michigan State.
Bottom Line: 2023 Could Be a Tough Season for Michigan State
The Michigan State Spartans’ biggest weapon that they brought back on offense is running back Jalen Berger, who last season ran for 683 yards on 148 carries and had six touchdowns; he also caught 19 passes for 128 yards. The biggest receiving threat they have is Tre Mosley after losing Jayden Reed to the NFL and Keon Coleman to Florida State. Mosley caught 35 passes for 359 yards and four touchdowns last season. Expect Kim to be the starter, but you may see some of Houser throughout the season if he continues to impress in camp.
