How each former Michigan State football QB fared in battles with new teams

I have no data to back this statement up, but I feel like Michigan State football might have done something for the first time this past offseason in college football history being that they lost their top three quarterbacks to the transfer portal.

It ended up working out for Jonathan Smith because he brought star quarterback Aidan Chiles from Oregon State with him while also snagging a solid backup option in Tommy Schuster from the portal as well. But you can’t deny how wild and kind of interesting it is that the entire quarterback room left at once.

Now whether you choose to support and cheer for those guys at their next school is up to you. I’m not necessarily cheering for them, but I will keep tabs on them to see how they do at their next stop.

So let’s take a quick look at the four former Michigan State quarterbacks and see how they faired during their fall camp battles at their new schools.

1. Payton Thorne, Auburn

Let’s first begin with Payton Thorne who really wasn’t in a quarterback competition this fall. Thorne transferred to Auburn during the 2023 offseason and was the starting quarterback for the Tigers last season. So it’s really no surprise that he will be the starter again this year.

Thorne had an okay 2023 campaign where he threw for 1,755 yards and 16 touchdowns. But he was even more effective in the ground as he ran the ball 125 times for 520 yards and three touchdowns.

Auburn finished the season 6-7, but with Nick Saban’s dominant tenure at Alabama now complete I’m sure there’s a little more hope for the future of their program.