Brian Lewerke will get first start with Michigan Panthers on Sunday

Have an itch for Michigan State football that spring ball just didn't scratch? Well, you could tune in to the Michigan Panthers on Sunday to check out a former Spartan star leading the offense.

According to reports, Brian Lewerke will get his first start with the Panthers on Sunday afternoon against the DC Defenders in Washington, D.C. He will be starting because of an injury to the Panthers' usual QB1 and he'll be backed up by Bryce Perkins.

This is Lewerke's first start since he played in The Spring League but truly his first chance to prove himself as a legit professional QB1 option. It'll be easy to root for the former Michigan State star as he's leading the home-state Panthers. This is a chance for him to make a name for himself in the UFL and really turn his professional career around.

It's been quiet on the statistical front for Lewerke since joining the Panthers as he's appeared in just one game in two years and has no passing yards or touchdowns.

That changes on Sunday in D.C.

Lewerke has had an interesting career to this point, coming to Michigan State as a highly-touted quarterback from Arizona and waiting his turn through the College Football Playoff season and half of the 3-9 campaign in 2016. He ended up breaking his leg against Michigan, but he showed a ton of promise and then took over as starter in 2017, leading Michigan State to a 10-3 record with 2,793 yards and 20 touchdowns with just seven picks.

However, he's remembered more for his regression in 2018 and 2019 but it was due to an injury that the coaching staff somehow let him play through. His shoulder held him back but he tried to tough it out and it hurt his numbers and his confidence.

He'll always be remembered for being a good quarterback on some bad MSU teams. I like to think a healthy Lewerke would have been an MSU legend because we saw what he could do in 2017.

Let's hope we get that version of him on Sunday.