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Michigan State Football: 5 reasons Brian Lewerke could be Dantonio’s best QB ever

By Connor Muldowney

EAST LANSING, MI - NOVEMBER 04: Brian Lewerke #14 of the Michigan State Spartans throws a second half pass while playing the Penn State Nittany Lions at Spartan Stadium on November 4, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State won the game 27-24. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - NOVEMBER 04: Brian Lewerke #14 of the Michigan State Spartans throws a second half pass while playing the Penn State Nittany Lions at Spartan Stadium on November 4, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State won the game 27-24. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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Michigan State football has another All-Big Ten caliber quarterback on its hands and this time Brian Lewerke may prove to be Mark Dantonio’s best yet.

Through two years, Brian Lewerke has been the most impressive young quarterbacks Mark Dantonio has had in East Lansing. He’s been the full-time starter for just a season, but appeared as a redshirt freshman, nearly leading the Spartans back from a massive deficit against Michigan, but falling nine points short and also breaking his leg in the process.

You’d never know he broke his leg by watching his film from the 2017 season. He had the most productive first season as a starting quarterback of any of Dantonio’s former gunslingers — both rushing and passing.

Dantonio has had the likes of Kirk Cousins and Connor Cook come through East Lansing, but Lewerke has the potential to surpass both of the Spartan greats.

Here’s why Lewerke could very well become Dantonio’s best quarterback yet.

5. Accuracy on the rise

Throughout the 2017 season, Brian Lewerke saw his completion percentage go through roller-coaster progressions. He started strong, and then went through a dry spell where he couldn’t seem to crack 60 percent in a single game, but then caught fire again at the end of the year.

That continued in the right direction this spring as the annual scrimmage saw Lewerke showcase impressive accuracy and a couple of his on-target passes were dropped. He was 7-for-12 with 82 yards passing and a touchdown — he would have likely been 9-for-12 or 10-for-12 if his receivers didn’t drop those passes.

Accuracy is clearly something he’s worked hard on improving this offseason and it’ll be on the rise in 2018.

How does his first-year starting accuracy compare to Kirk Cousins’ and Connor Cook’s? Cousins was the best of the bunch, completing 60.4 percent and Cook completed 58.7 percent of his passes. Lewerke sits right in the middle with a 59 percent clip, and rising. Accuracy will be a strength of Lewerke’s in 2018 and beyond.

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