Payton Thorne burst onto the season as a breakout star for Michigan State in 2021. Now, Thorne is looking to make another jump with the Spartans.

During his first season as a starter, Thorne threw for over 3,200 yards with 31 total touchdowns. Though he was impressive, the biggest concern with Thorne entering 2022 is improving on a 60% completion rate and 11 interceptions from last season.

Thorne is also looking for consistency and cohesion with a group of new players coming to East Lansing via the transfer portal. That includes tight end Daniel Barker from Illinois and a pair of running backs in Jalen Berger (Wisconsin) and Jarek Broussard (Colorado) who will try to replace Kenneth Walker III.

On Monday, Michigan State released some behind-the-scenes footage of Thorne mic’d up and working with the offense. It still early inf all camp for the Spartans, but Thorne is looking solid and prepared for a leadership role for Mel Tucker’s squad.