Michigan State could be in trouble.
Deep, deep trouble.
Two weeks after engaging in an uninspiring spring game/practice at Spartan Stadium and two days after being spurned by top in-state tight end recruiting target Dylan Mesman, coach Mel Tucker on Sunday received his latest two gut punches.
Make it a pair of haymakers.
On the final day for college football players to enter the 2023 transfer portal, No. 1 quarterback Payton Thorne and top wide receiver Keon Coleman announced they were abandoning the sinking program.
Payton Thorne and Keon Coleman are both in the transfer portal for Michigan State. Spartans losing both QB1 and WR1 after going 5-7.
Unrelated: a reminder that Mel Tucker is signed to a 10 year, $95 million contract.
🎨: @mgoblog pic.twitter.com/DROpDCF7ni
— The Rivalry Podcast (@RivalPod) April 30, 2023
Payton Thorne Leaving Michigan State With Degree
One week before Thorne is expected to graduate with a communications degree, the Spartans’ two-year starter announced he intended to pursue another opportunity.
Thorne’s decision puts the Spartans’ quarterbacking situation in disarray. Tucker said throughout the spring workouts that Thorne would have to win the starting job over redshirt junior Noah Kim and redshirt freshman Katin Houser, despite amassing 5,912 yards the past two seasons.
“We have to play the players that give us the best chance to win at every position,” Tucker said, as reported by the Detroit Free Press. “And quarterback’s no different.”
From all indications, Thorne earned the QB1 role from the number of reps he received with the first-team offense.
But, in the end, it didn’t seem to matter.
Since earning his first start at the end of the 2020 season and guiding the Spartans to an 11-2 mark, including a Peach Bowl win, in ‘21, Thorne’s play has descended. Compared to his first full season as a starter, he threw for 554 fewer yards and eight fewer touchdowns last season.
The Spartans have earned the commitment of just four players for the 2023 recruiting cycle and rank 40th in the nation, according to 247sports.com.
In-state rival Michigan, meanwhile, ranks first.
Did Thorne sense the difficulty the Spartans could face next season, coming off a 5-7 campaign?
Keon Coleman, Michigan State football's leading WR, enters NCAA transfer portal https://t.co/kpDOc9HDhX
— Detroit Free Press (@freep) April 30, 2023
Keon Coleman Departs With 2 Years Of Eligibility Remaining
Coleman likely sensed the same thing.
With his starting quarterback headed out of East Lansing, Michigan, Coleman also decided to pack up his belongings and follow Thorne into the transfer portal. Coleman’s absence leaves a big hole in the Spartans’ receiving corps.
Coleman enjoyed a breakout sophomore season, picking Thorne up with Jayden Reed hobbled early in ’22. The Green Bay Packers on Friday selected Reed with the No. 50 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Coleman, who also suited up for the Spartans’ basketball team, finished last season with a team-high 58 catches, 798 yards and seven touchdowns.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound receiver will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Tucker, by the way, signed a 10-year, $95 million contract in November 2021.
Now, with their recruiting momentum stalled and without their top quarterback and wide receiver, the Spartans could be in deep trouble.
Deep, deep trouble.
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