Michigan State’s starting QB remains unknown amid ‘fierce competition’

College football: Michgian State vs. Purdue - October 27, 2018

Michigan State quarterback Rocky Lombardi (12) looks to throw a pass during the third quarter of their Big Ten football game against Purdue at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Saturday, October 27, 2018. Michigan State won the game, 23-13. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

Michigan State’s new starting quarterback remains a mystery.

First-year head coach Mel Tucker on Tuesday declined to name a starter ahead of Saturday’s season opener against Rutgers (noon, BTN) in East Lansing and the team hasn’t released a depth chart.

“We won’t be announcing a quarterback today,” Tucker said during a videoconference. “There’s been fierce competition at so many positions, including quarterback. As this week unfolds and a gameplan is installed, we’ll make a decision and then we’ll go play.”

Three-year starting quarterback Brian Lewerke graduated after last season and redshirt junior Rocky Lombardi, redshirt sophomore Theo Day and redshirt freshman Payton Thorne returned as scholarship quarterbacks. Noah Kim is a true freshman who didn’t join the program until this summer but Tucker once again included his name in the mix.

“It’s a really good group of guys and Noah Kim has done a nice job for us,” Tucker said. “He’s got a lot of talent.”

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Lombardi, 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, has a significant edge in experience. He has appeared in 16 career games and posted a 2-1 record as a starter in 2018 while Lewerke was battling an injured throwing shoulder. Lombardi has completed 42.9 percent (75-for-175) of his career passes for 812 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions and has 42 carries for 127 yards.

Day, 6-5 and 225 pounds, took a redshirt as a true freshman in 2018. He was 2-for-3 passing for 12 yards while appearing briefly in two games last season.

Thorne, 6-2 and 210 pounds, didn’t play while taking a redshirt as a true freshman last season and running the scout team. Kim, 6-2 and 170 pounds, is a three-star prospect from Virginia who signed with the Spartans' 2020 recruiting class.

All four quarterbacks are working under new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Jay Johnson, who followed Tucker from Colorado to Michigan State in February. The process of installing a new offense was complicated by the coronavirus pandemic, which resulted in all of spring practice being canceled, two weeks of summer workouts were wiped out and the Big Ten pushed back the start of the season by nearly two months.

“For Rocky, Payton, Theo and Noah … the most important thing was really to connect with Jay and understand his process, understand how he sees that position being played and then learning the scheme,” Tucker said. "That’s where those guys have grown. They’ve connected with Jay, they have a lot of respect for Jay, Jay has a lot of respect for them, they work well as a unit, they help each other and I’ve seen a steady improvement from that group. And that’s what you want to see at that position, you want to see guys that are team guys, that have leadership ability, that are not afraid to take charge and I’ve seen that in all of those guys. And I believe that your quarterback has to be your No. 1 competitor on your team, college or pro.

“We have the competitive nature and the mental disposition in that room to be able to get the job done. I feel really good about what Jay’s done and what he’s going to continue to do and how those guys are going to continue to develop under him.”

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Johnson on Oct. 2 said he hoped to have a better idea of the direction they would go at quarterback within a week or two but admitted the competition could stretch into the season. That means potentially playing more than one quarterback against Rutgers, but Tucker didn’t provide a definitive answer when asked specifically about that possibility on Tuesday.

“We’re going to play who gives us the best chance to win,” Tucker said. “We’ll just have to see how this week unfolds. The guys that we have are very capable and so we’re very fortunate to have multiple quarterbacks that we feel like can get the job done.”

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