Michigan State offensive coordinator Jay Johnson updates the offense

Michigan State had its fourth practice of 2023 fall camp on Monday.

Afterward, MSU offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Jay Johnson spoke to the media to provide updates on the offense.

Johnson discussed the ongoing quarterback battle, and ran through several other positions on the offense.

"I'm excited to start this (2023) season," Johnson said. "Really, the season started back in January, but the phase now of the season is exciting."

A big point of emphasis for Michigan State throughout the offseason and summer has been the Spartans' improved depth up and down the roster. This has been something head coach Mel Tucker has been adamant about, and Johnson brought it up as well.

"The biggest thing that I feel is different is depth," Johnson said. "We really have depth at every position that I think has maybe been a little bit different in the last couple of years. I look at really every position and there are guys that we feel have the ability to get on the field and do some positive things. That's really been good. I think we're off to a solid start in camp."

When asked specifically how the much-talked about improved depth could actually translate to wins on the field, Johnson had this to say:

"I think when you have more depth, it allows you to practice better," Johnson explained. "There's been times in the past where lack of depth does not allow us to prepare how we want to prepare. So any time you can prepare more and prepare at a higher level, that should bode itself to hopefully better performance on the field. I think that's one.

"And then I think the second thing is it also is challenging all of us among our offense because there are more guys that we feel can play. It's (that) the intensity is higher, the focus is higher, and you get that all jelling together, and then that's gotta lend itself to better performance and hopefully more wins."

Johnson went on to discuss how the offense is progressing.

The most pressing question for Michigan State is who is going to start at quarterback when the Spartans open the 2023 season against Central Michigan on Sept. 1.

"We're still working on it," Johnson said with a smile when asked if a starter has been named yet.

While the starter isn't known yet, and may not be to the public all the way until the first game of the year, Johnson likes what he has in redshirt junior Noah Kim, redshirt freshman Katin Houser, true freshman Sam Leavitt and redshirt junior walk-on Andrew Schorfhaar will push those three guys as well.

The group is experienced, but talented and competitive, according to Johnson.

"Quarterback wise, it's exciting," Johnson said. "I really like the room. We've got four guys in the room with Drew Schorfhaar and Katin (Houser) and Sam (Leavitt) and Noah (Kim), and I think they're progressing well. They're doing some things.

"It's early yet, so I've gotta continue to see it, and now that we've been able to put the pads on, it's a little bit more real in a sense of football. When you just have shoulder pads and helmets, it's a little bit different ... but, it's a good situation. I like the guys in the room and they're working hard."

Of course, things look a little bit different in the quarterbacks room in 2023 compared to 2022 when there was already an entrenched starter in place. Two-year starter and team captain Payton Thorne transferred to Auburn in the offseason, opening up a great opportunity for the other signal-callers on the roster.

While things may feel a little bit different in that regard, that doesn't necessarily mean the room is operating any differently. The goal of winning as many games as possible remains the same.

"I think it's different from a certain standpoint of it's always different when you don't have a guy that's had the actual starting game experience,” Johnson said. "It's always a little bit different in the quarterback room when you're the starter as far as how you handle that and how that happens. So, I don't think any of us will know the answer to that until September first (versus Central Michigan).

"But I do like the room. The guys are working hard. It's a good room. They're challenging each other, they're empowering each other. I'm excited about it because they've all got some good skills."

Johnson discussed what he wants to see from the quarterbacks, and what criteria he is looking for in his evaluation of a potential starter. He noted that consistency, taking care of the ball, commanding the offense and scoring points will be the main things he is searching for in the competition.

While he admitted some of these things can be a little bit harder to find in a practice setting, Johnson and the staff have 25 total practices throughout the fall to examine things.

Johnson also doesn't expect any of the quarterbacks to be "perfect," but he does want to see how they bounce back after poor plays or adversity.

It would be ideal for MSU to find one guy to rise above the rest of the quarterbacks and take over the offense. However, it's not out of the realm of possibility that the Spartans use more than one quarterback in the early games to evaluate how they do in game settings.

"That could be a possibility," Johnson about playing two quarterbacks in a game. "I don't really know yet. I've done that in my past some, so I'm not completely against it. I just think it's what presents itself. At the end of the day, it's gonna come back to the team, obviously, and what we feel is best for our team and best for that room and how it affects the whole team. So if we think that's the best interest, yeah, that could be a possibility."