Mississippi State Football: Is Tommy Stevens the best option at QB?

Tommy Stevens announced his transfer to Mississippi State football on Friday afternoon but is he the best option to start for the Bulldogs in 2019?

The career Tommy Stevens experienced in Happy Valley isn’t one that he may want to forget, but rather get a fresh start from, and he did just that on Friday, announcing his transfer to Mississippi State to join former Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead’s program.

https://twitter.com/TMS_II/status/1129405948982902784

The move made sense given that he’s familiar with Moorhead and the offense that he ran with the Nittany Lions as well as the fact that long-time starting quarterback Nick Fitzgerald is now gone.

However, does that officially make Stevens the best option at quarterback for the Bulldogs in 2019? That question won’t be answered until the fall, or even during offseason workouts, but all signs are pointing to Keytaon Thompson taking over for Fitzgerald.

Adding Stevens to the mix gives Moorhead some options at quarterback which is something he desperately needed after losing Fitzgerald and returning his backup who attempted just 39 passes last season with a sub-50 percent completion rate.

Stevens, though, has failed to remain healthy throughout his college career, passing for just 304 yards on 41 attempts while rushing for another 506 yards with 12 total touchdowns. He has the talent with his arm and legs, but if he can’t stay healthy, that’s a big risk Moorhead will be forced to weigh.

If Moorhead wants to go with a guy who has been waiting for years to become the No. 1 guy at a program with a ton of tradition and learned behind an All-Big Ten dual-threat, Stevens is most definitely the guy, but I’d be shocked if Thompson didn’t at least begin the season as a starter.

Thompson must work on his accuracy, because we already know he can be an elite rusher at the quarterback position. Is Stevens the answer? It’s too early to tell, but this could be just what Thompson needed to push himself toward improvement — and stardom.