Michigan State's Starting QB Enters Transfer Portal

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Payton Thorne's time with Michigan State has come to an end.

The veteran college QB entered the transfer portal Sunday, according to multiple reports. It was the final day for non-graduate transfers to get in the portal. The decision to transfer comes after a QB battle against Noah Kim and Katin Houser. Clearly, Thorne didn't like his chances, despite being the starter. Thorne has two years of eligibility remaining.r

Star receiver Keon Coleman also hit the portal. It was a tough day for the roster in East Lansing.

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Payton Thorne leaves Michigan State. (Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Payton Thorne is gone.

Michigan State's football team last season struggled most of the time. It was a very tough year that ended with a 5-7 record. Thorne finished the year with 19 passing touchdowns to 11 interceptions and 2,679 passing yards.

During his time in East Lansing, he threw for 49 touchdowns, 24 interceptions and 6,501 yards. His stats weren't terrible, and Michigan State went 11-2 in his first year as the team's starter.

Of course, it certainly helped having star running back Kenneth Walker coming out of the backfield. Things just fell off a cliff in 2022.

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Michigan State QB Payton Thorne is done with the program. He entered the transfer portal. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

The team took a monster step back in Mel Tucker's third season, Thorne struggled with his health for most of the season and he's now gone.

It might be easy for Michigan State fans to celebrate this news, but be careful what you wish for. There's no guarantee Noah Kim or anyone else in the QB room will be better.

Noah Kim was okay last season going 14-19 for 174 yards and three touchdowns. However, the sample size is far too small to indicate anything.

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Payton Thorne enters transfer portal. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

With two years of eligibility remaining and plenty of starting experience under his belt, Payton Thorne should get plenty of phone calls. As for the Spartans, they better figure it out in 2023. If Mel Tucker has another terrible year, his seat will start to sizzle.