The decision for Tommy Stevens to leave Penn State was not an easy one.

The former Nittany Lions signal-caller transferred to Mississippi State prior to the 2019 season to finish out his career. He left Penn State as a graduate transfer and was immediately eligible with the Bulldogs.

After losing the starting quarterback spot to Trace McSorley in 2016, Stevens hung around but played sparingly during his time in Happy Valley. Then with just one year remaining and locked in a QB competition, Stevens left.

On Monday, Stevens took time to sit down with former PSU player Adam Breneman on his personal show to discuss his decision to transfer. Looking back, Stevens was really disappointed with some of the comments fans made following his departure.

Mark Brennan with Lions 247 transcribed Stevens’ comments:

“I wasn’t afraid of competition,” Stevens said. “I see the things that people say and fans that think I left because I was scared to compete. … It doesn’t make sense to me. Because if I was scared to compete, why wouldn’t I have left after I lost the job to Trace? Why would I have stayed for all of that time? It did bug me a lot. I’m not going to act like I didn’t see any of that stuff.

“That was tough on me, because at that time I felt like I had given every single thing that I possibly could to the university,” he added. “Ultimately, I had to decide that maybe moving on was the best thing that I could do.”

Ultimately, Stevens said he doesn’t hold anything against Penn State or head coach James Franklin. But he does admit that he was hoping to finish his career as the starter for the Nittany Lions. In the end, Stevens made the decision that he thought was best for him and is trying his best to help Mississippi State:

“At the end of the day, I don’t have bad will to Penn State whatsoever. I’m an alumni, I graduated from Penn State, and I’m forever thankful for the opportunity that I was given there. But I felt like this was the best thing for me.”