The transfer portal has created many curiosities. The Jonathan Smith era at Michigan State has foundered in year 2 with a 0-6 Big 10 mark. Part of the issue for the Spartans has been inconsistent QB play. Last Saturday, in Minneapolis, Smith’s fellow refugee from Oregon State, Aidan Chiles was benched. The result was that the Spartans played a bit better, losing an overtime heartbreaker.
The irony is that Michigan State has recruited the position well. But numerous flourishing QBs did not stay in East Lansing. Sam Leavitt has been a revelation at ASU the past two years. Noah Kim has become the starter at Eastern Michigan. Katin Houser has revved up the East Carolina offense. In fact, expect the Pirates to get revenge against Charlotte today for last year’s 55-24 thrashing by the 49ers. The Odyssey will not be surprised if Houser leads the Pirates to more points this weekend in any game against a hapless 49er defense.
Even the MSU QB transfers who were less successful after leaving Sparty have been noteworthy. While Payton Thorne had a noteworthy 2021 season at MSU, his less-than-successful 2 years at Auburn were one of the many reasons Hugh Freeze got the boot on Sunday.