Michigan State offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Jay Johnson spoke to the media after Tuesday’s spring practice.

Johnson, now in his fourth season at MSU under head coach Mel Tucker, was generally positive about how the Spartans have progressed this spring and is excited about the direction of the program.

Following a disappointing 5-7 season in 2022, Johnson said that halfway through spring ball, the team has made “good progress” thus far.

“Well, one of the things when we look back at is – and it has to be kind of our everyday nature, and Coach (Tucker) talks about an awful lot – is the details of what we do, and the minor details, and sometimes that goes into different parameters, certainly. But a lot of it for us has been emphasis on kind of the individual technique part of it that then we can transfer over to once we put the entire scheme together. So I feel we're making some very positive influences in that area. So that’s kind of the main focus.”

Johnson noted that the Spartans are a brand new squad this year, and there has been a huge difference in the spring of 2023 versus the spring of 2022.

“We are a completely different team than what we were a year ago,” Johnson said. “If you remember, because of just some certain circumstances with injury and whatnot, we had like six or seven offensive lineman (last spring). Now we have like 19, and some really good players. I mean, the defense is in the same mold. We're a completely different level there with running backs, with receivers, we feel like we're getting some really good quality work in. So, to me, it's night and day. We're like light years ahead of where we were last year.”

Following a team scrimmage this past Saturday, Johnson gave an update on how things are going at each position.

Of course, the most popular storyline this spring – and likely into the fall – is who will start at quarterback for the Spartans in 2023?

Redshirt senior Payton Thorne is the veteran of the group, and has started for the past two seasons. However, after an inconsistent campaign from Thorne in 2022, the quarterback competition is open.

Thorne is embracing the competition, but redshirt freshman Katin Houser and redshirt junior Noah Kim are right on his heels.

According to Johnson, the three quarterbacks have been given equal reps throughout the spring to show off what they can do in various situations.

“I think we do a pretty good job of looking at it every day of basically the team 11-on-11 reps and the seven-on-seven reps, and I think after even the scrimmage on Saturday, I think they're all within like a rep or two, those top-three guys between Payton (Thorne), Katin (Houser) and Noah (Kim),” Johnson said. “It's one of the things that I'm moving them around sometimes because I need certain guys to get certain plays that they maybe haven't seen. It doesn't matter where that really falls … We do a lot of different situational things in our practice, and I need to see those guys under those different environments.”

Johnson alluded to the competition bringing out the best in the quarterbacks.

“So far it's been positive, those guys have been competing well, and it's been a very competitive environment,” Johnson said.