The heart and soul of every great football team is its quarterback, but after a tumultuous offseason filled with lots of roster turnover and new acquisitions, the starting quarterback for Michigan.
Intriguing Michigan State QB competition takes center stage heading into 2021
Updated Dec 22, 2020;
Posted Dec 22, 2020
Penn State defensive end Shaka Toney pressures Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne during the first quarter on Dec. 12, 2020.
Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com
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Who will be the starting quarterback?
The next competition will be different than the one that took place this fall due to the transfer portal.
Redshirt junior Rocky Lombardi started six games this season but entered the portal on Friday. That was two days after the Spartans and first-year coach Mel Tucker landed a commitment from Anthony Russo, a graduate transfer from Temple. It appears to set up a battle between the veteran newcomer and Payton Thorne, a redshirt freshman who started one game this season for the Spartans. Whatever direction Tucker goes in next fall, the quarterback will be the critical piece in attempting to revive an offense that has been one of the worst in
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Updated Dec 21, 2020;
Posted Dec 19, 2020
Michigan State quarterback Rocky Lombardi (12) celebrates after getting a first down in the closing seconds to secure a 27-24 win over Michigan in their Big Ten football game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, on Saturday, October 31, 2020. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)Mike Mulholland | MLive.com
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Clinging to a three-point lead with less than 30 seconds left in the game, Michigan State faced fourth-and-2 on Michigan’s side of the field.
Rocky Lombardi took the snap, plowed behind his offensive line for three yards and a first down to ice a 27-24 upset win at Michigan on Oct. 31. The redshirt junior threw for 323 yards and three touchdowns that day in the best performance of his career. It seemed to cement his spot as the starting quarterback for the future.
Michigan State quarterback Rocky Lombardi enters the transfer portal
Michigan State University quarterback Rocky Lombardi breaking out of the pocket to run for first down against Northwestern on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2020.
Michigan State s former starting quarterback Rocky Lombardi has entered the transfer portal, an MSU spokesperson confirmed Friday.
Lombardi is one of several Spartan players to enter the portal including Devontae Dobbs, Julian Barnett, Davion Williams and Jeslord Boateng most recently.
Lombardi threw for 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in his career for Michigan State, including eight touchdowns and nine interceptions this season.
The quarterback room for Michigan State has become more crowded with the rise of Payton Thorne as a freshman, the addition of Anthony Russo from Temple via the transfer portal and Hampton Fay, the 6-foot-5 quarterback out of Texas, signed on with Michigan State and plans to enroll early.