Michigan State Football: 3 storylines to follow in spring 2021

1. Quarterback battle

As mentioned earlier, it took a little longer than Mel Tucker would have hoped to find the best starting quarterback. Payton Thorne finished the season on a high note with a decent performance against Ohio State and an even better showing against Penn State. In fact, he completed 64 percent of his passes for 147 yards against the Buckeyes and was 22-for-39 with 325 yards and three touchdowns against the Nittany Lions.

Thorne took over for Rocky Lombardi, but now the veteran quarterback has transferred and the job looks to be the sophomore’s to lose.

That was until Anthony Russo decided to transfer in. The former Temple quarterback had some impressive seasons with the Owls and the only down side to his game is his turnover margin. He made some questionable decisions but was overall a strong-armed passer.

Russo is in town to battle it out with Thorne, Theo Day, Noah Kim and Hamp Fay for the starting job and we’ll have a lot more clarity by the end of spring ball who the starting quarterback will be this fall.

Many want Russo because of his experience and potential to be a prolific passer but Thorne would give the Spartans a 3-4 year starter. All eyes will be on the quarterback position this spring in East Lansing.