Michigan State Football: 5 second-year players due for big jump in 2020

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;Manny BunchEAST LANSING, MI – AUGUST 30: Brian Lewerke #14 of the Michigan State Spartans yells out signals before the snap in the second quarter against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Spartan Stadium on August 30, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

After starting for the better part of three seasons, Brian Lewerke is moving on and that means there’ll be some fresh blood under center.

Will Rocky Lombardi get the veteran’s treatment and take over as QB1? Will Theo Day finally prove himself as the most talented of the bunch? Will Payton Thorne rise up and snatch the starting job away from two guys who’ve been in the system longer? Those are three questions that must be answered before the season begins if MSU wants to have success.

Thorne may be the most intriguing of the trio, though. He was considered by some to be the favorite behind Lewerke last season to enter the game if an injury occurred. That never happened and we only saw glimpses of Lombardi and three passes from Day on the year, but rumors circulated that Thorne was QB2 in the staff’s eyes.

Entering year two and getting a fresh start with a new offensive staff, Thorne may be on the same level as the two “veterans” on the depth chart at quarterback.

Everyone is learning a new playbook and that opens the door for Thorne to prove himself as the most capable QB1. He may not win the starting job right away, but we could see a budding star in the second-year quarterback from Illinois.

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