JD PicKell addresses Michigan State's fit for transfer quarterback Casey Thompson

Former Texas Longhorns and Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Casey Thompson is one of the hottest names still available in the spring transfer portal window. There have been plenty of questions surrounding where he will play in 2023, and some have him staying in the Big Ten conference but traveling north to East Lansing, MI, and playing for the Michigan State Spartans. But On3’s JD PicKell thinks Spartans fans should pump the brakes on Thompson to Michigan State. According to the college football expert, it’s just not a good fit for either side.

“Michigan State is one that I have heard thrown around. Now I don’t agree with this, but just so we can walk this out; I think Noah Kim is their guy,” said PicKell. “There was conversation that Noah Kim was going to be the guy going into fall camp. Some people said he outplayed Payton Thorne.”

During one year as the primary starter at Texas, Thompson crossed the 2,000-yard threshold while throwing 24 touchdowns to nine interceptions. He also averaged more than eight yards per pass attempt. Whereas, in one year as the primary starter for the Huskers, Thompson tossed for 2,400 yards, 17 touchdowns, 10 picks. And Thompson was able to still average more than eight yards per attempt at Nebraska.

“Do you really want to go into a situation where the quarterback room is more or less settled; even though they just lost their starter in Payton Thorne from a year ago? They like Noah Kim. I don’t think that they’re going to go and roll with the guy, Casey Thompson. Also, not really a quarterback-friendly system. It’s not to dunk on Michigan State; it’s just not a situation where if you’re Casey Thompson with one year of eligibility to use, you go to East Lansing. I don’t see the fit.”

As a recruit, Thompson was a four-star prospect in the 2018 class, where the On3 Industry Rankings pegged him as the No. 308 overall player and the No. 24 quarterback in that class. He’s also currently ranked as the No. 3 available quarterback in the portal by the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings.

There’s still time for Thompson to decide where he wants to play. But with one year of eligibility remaining, he has to make this last year really count. And unfortunately, in PicKell’s eyes, Michigan State would not be the best landing spot for the former Longhorn/ Cornhusker.

On3’s Alex Weber contributed to this story