Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne, the Spartans’ starter the past two years, and wide receiver Keon Coleman, who led the team in the major receiving categories in 2022, have entered the transfer portal.
Also, cornerback Charles Brantley is in the portal. He started 11 games last season and led the Spartans with six pass breakups.
Thorne, who will be a redshirt senior in 2023, is entering the portal as a graduate transfer.
He has thrown for 6,494 yards, 49 touchdowns and 24 interceptions in his Michigan State career. In the 2021 season, his first as the starter, Thorne showed much promise, throwing for 3,233 yards and 27 touchdowns with 10 interceptions.
He played through injuries in 2022 and threw for 2,679 yards and 19 touchdowns with 11 interceptions as Michigan State went 5-7 overall, including losses to Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State.
Coleman led the Spartans in receptions (58), receiving yards (798) and receiving touchdowns (7) during a breakout 2022 season. Coleman, a 6-foot-4 receiver with multiple years of eligibility, should draw a lot of interest from teams.
Despite being the starter the past two seasons, Thorne was in a battle for the No. 1 spot this offseason with Noah Kim, a redshirt junior from Virginia. Kim has primarily been a backup, but with the inconsistency on offense during the 2022 season, coach Mel Tucker was looking for someone to take the starting job.
Michigan State still has Kim on the roster, as well as redshirt freshman Katin Houser, a four-star prospect in the 2022 class.
Because Thorne is a graduate transfer, he will be eligible immediately at his next destination. It is late in the transfer process, however, as Sunday is the final day for nongraduate transfers to enter the portal before the window closes.
He will have competition for another landing spot as well, as Nebraska quarterback Casey Thompson and Purdue quarterback Brady Allen recently entered the portal.
Michigan State also lost its second-leading wide receiver, Jayden Reed, to the NFL. He was drafted in the second round by the Green Bay Packers on Friday.
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