Payton Thorne has started the last two seasons at Michigan State, yet due to redshirting and the covid year he still has 2 years of eligibility left. Thorne has thrown for an impressive 6,000 yards and 49 TDs for the Spartans under Mel Tucker. At this juncture of the offseason, Thorne will not be short of suitors. Teams who either didn’t like what they saw in spring ball or knew they wanted a veteran with experience will, at the very least, reach out and let him compete for the job in the Fall. Here are five places we might see him end up.
Minnesota
After multiple decades of Tanner Morgan at QB (wait that can’t be right, even if it sounds right), P.J. Fleck must find a new starter. By all accounts, Athan Kaliakmanis looked decent in the spring but beyond that there is little depth and no proven signal callers. Flack has utilized the portal less than almost every other team, believing in developing and nurturing his own recruits. As a recruit Thorne did carry an offer from Minnesota, as well as being recruited by this staff at both Western Michigan and Minnesota. From a depth and possible starter perspective, this move makes a lot of sense.
Oklahoma State
Alan Bowman is at this third school and sixth season of college football after the former Texas Tech and Michigan man came in this spring to compete for the job. By all accounts, he did show signs of leadership and promise this spring. This was a fantastic sign for the Cowboys who would’ve been a 2-3 win team without bringing in a guy from the portal after Spencer Sanders left for Ole Miss. Mike Gundy is an appealing coach for any QB to play for. He’s coached high-powered offenses and sent many guys to the NFL. Their ability to scheme and throw the ball around could be appealing to Thorne and provide competition for Bowman.
Illinois
Thorne hails from the Chicago suburbs so going home might be something he has an interest in. With Luke Altmeyer, Donovan Leary, and John Paddock on the roster, Bret Bielema isn’t short of bodies in the QB room, but he may be short of a guy he views as the leader who can bring them a West title. This one makes less sense to me than the others, but many of the dots could connect for this to happen.
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Auburn
I expected Hugh Freeze and the new-look Tigers to get a big-name QB through the portal in the winter but that didn’t happen. Will it happen now? I don’t know but if I had to pick between bringing in another QB via the portal or throwing all my money on Robby Ashford, I’d bet the house on another guy coming in.
Virginia
With Brennan Armstrong exiting for NC State in the offseason there are few, maybe no, power five teams who need a QB worse than Virginia. Tony Elliot had an abysmal year one, and that was before tragedy struck. Right now they don’t look to be much better than the 3-6 team they were last year. Jay Wollfolk looks to be the starting QB now and that will not make the Cavalier faithful exude confidence. They need help in many spots, QB is one of them. Thorne becomes the starter right away if he opts for Charlottesville.
