Michigan State Football: Will Theo Day win the starting quarterback job?

Redshirt sophomore Theo Day has a golden opportunity to seize the reins of Michigan State football’s starting quarterback spot. Can he do it?

The last time we saw Theo Day on the field, he may have called the wrong play — or plays — and then was yanked. Young quarterbacks are going to make mistakes on the field; it’s the nature of the sport. However, those few plays in the Penn State game were a sign of what the Michigan State program had become.

Gone were the days of MSU avoiding self-inflicted wounds. The last few years of the Mark Dantonio era were marred with penalties and out of position players. It reminded me of the John L. Smith era.

Now Mel Tucker is at the helm and he has a big decision to make this fall.

Theo Day has a cannon for an arm and moves well in the pocket although that is based on high school film. Everything changes at the next level. I like his ability to escape the pocket when he feels the rush as well as how he keeps his eyes down field — he’s much more mobile than people realize. He does not give up on plays and if he becomes the starter then he could be the playmaker Tucker needs.

Day has the size 6-foot-5 and all the tools to be a big-time quarterback in college. As good as Dantonio was at finding gems and developing players, he also handcuffed talent as well.

If I had to bet, I would put my money on Day becoming the starter for Michigan State this fall. He has what Tucker wants in a quarterback.

However, Day will have to prove himself.