Michigan State Football: Payton Thorne ranked No. 25 QB in the nation

Michigan State football’s Payton Thorne was ranked 247Sports’ No. 25 quarterback in the country for the upcoming 2022 season.

Payton Thorne’s first full season as Michigan State football’s QB1 was an overwhelming success. While most of the offensive success was credited to Kenneth Walker III, and deservedly so, the sophomore quarterback broke some records under Jay Johnson’s tutelage.

In fact, Thorne had the most touchdown passes (27) in a single season in Michigan State history. He added over 3,000 passing yards and a 60 percent completion rate on 8.3 yards per attempt. He looked like one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten and led the Spartans to an 11-2 record and Peach Bowl victory.

Now, expectations heading into his second full season as the starting quarterback are incredibly high. He’s projected to be one of the Big Ten’s top passers again and even one of the best in the nation.

Thorne is probably one of the top 3-4 quarterbacks in the Big Ten heading into the season behind the most obvious selection as No. 1 in Ohio State’s CJ Stroud.

Brad Crawford of 247Sports actually released his ranking of the top 25 quarterbacks in the country for 2022 and Thorne came in at No. 25.

Here’s what Crawford had to say about Thorne:

"Thorne’s production this season is extremely vital to Michigan State’s success, perhaps more than any other quarterback anchoring a league squad inside the top 25, after the Spartans lost Doak Walker winner Kenneth Walker III out of the backfield."

This is a modest ranking for Thorne, but it’s fair considering he needs to improve on his accuracy and he struggled against Ohio State and for a little bit versus Michigan and Pitt. If he can put a full season together and thrive in those huge games, he could sneak into that top 10-15 range.

Right now, Crawford has Thorne behind Stroud, Purdue’s Aidan O’Connell, and Maryland’s Taulia Tagovailoa in the Big Ten. I could see him ending up as the league’s No. 2 passer by the end of the year.