Everything Michigan State OC Jay Johnson said at Spartans' spring practice

Michigan State football is set to begin its third week of spring practice ahead of the annual Green-White Spring Game on April 16.

Offensive coordinator Jay Johnson met with the media and shared insight on several topics of interest as the Spartans gear up for the 2022 season. Here's what he had to say...

On Payton Thorne:

“Obviously, we took a big step from the previous year. We went back and watched things, I think we have to do everything a little bit better.”

“One of the emphasis for me is to get Payton Thorne to play at an even higher level. He was really, really good last year. He was very solid, but I still think, as he and I have reviewed things and he and I have talked, the growth for him is really there still.”

“For us to take that next step, I need to see that growth from him.”

“Payton’s very cerebral. Coming from the football family with his dad and that, he really has a great grasp of things. Sometimes he’s almost too good mentally that it gets him in trouble. Even in spring ball, I’m said, ‘Hey c’mon, just run the play’. Because he knows so much, he takes so much in.”

Offense starts with run game:

“We’re going to base things starting with the run game. We need to do that. That’s what our program is, the physicality that Coach Tuck wants, that relentless approach, that non-stop, high-velocity is what he’s looking for, and I think it still starts there.”

“I think it comes with the brand of football, the physicality, so it will still start there.”

“You have now a more experienced quarterback, you have some receivers with J. Reed coming back, that obviously brings some things to the table. I’m hoping we can continue to evolve there and become even better.”

On backup quarterbacks:

“We’re working all three guys. I’ve been pleased with Noah Kim, I think he’s done some very positive things. Hamp Fay continues to evolve. Hamp Fay is like 300 percent better than he was when he got here a year ago. And, now, Katin has just joined us at mid-year, and is doing some things.”

“We keep a pretty detailed rep count each day, and I’m kind of trying to get those other three in…some situations to see how they respond. Because I need them to come along.”

“We were blessed last year. Generally, you don’t get through the season with just one quarterback, and we really were. I’m praying for that to happen again this year, but those other guys, I want them to press Payton, and I need to get them ready so that we have that depth and we have that ability to continue on.”

“I think Katin’s been very solid. He has really good football IQ, really good student of the game. It’s a lot for anybody coming in when they enter in mid-year. But I’ve been pleased. He has a really good skillset, from his ability to throw the football and those things, and pretty good mobility. So, I think his future’s really bright. We have to grow every day and he’s working at it, and so I expect things from him.”

On the tight ends:

“Connor was tremendous for us last year in that transition from running back, but I am excited about that. We have a couple of newcomers joining us, all of them will be here this summer. But I do think with Tyler Hunt back and Maliq [Carr] and what they bring, they’re kind of different a little bit in the tight end room. So, we hope we can focus on those guys and bring those as part of the fold.”

“I feel like the tight end is kind of the MVP, because we ask them to do an awful lot. They’ve got to run block, they’ve got to pass block, they’ve got to find a way to get open. Even in the Peach Bowl, we put Maliq out there at wide out and we threw a screen to him, so I think we’ll have some flexibilities on that.”

“We’re kind of still working through those pieces, and we’ll use spring to do that, but that will definitely be a part of our plan.”

On offensive line:

“We had a veteran group that had played a lot of football, and so taking them out of the fold, it’s been interesting. Our focus is trying to get those guys, and because we’re somewhat limited, and Matt [Allen] is not able to go because of his ACL [injury] from the fall, those young guys are getting anything and everything. They’re getting it all.”

“I think it’s challenging for us right now, but boy, I think come August it’s going to pay huge dividends for us, because we need them to come along. We were blessed with the Luke Campbell’s and the Jarvis’ and the Matt Allen’s that had been here for so long and had played so much ball, that now those young guys are going to have to be ready to roll. They’re getting a ton of reps this spring, and we’re hoping that pays great dividends for us.”

“That’s an important piece of the puzzle. Jarrett came in and did some great things, and then struggled a little bit with some injuries there at the end, but we’re excited to have him back. That helps us, you know, with the previous question about the O-line depth. He’s one of the guys, and then hopefully you get [Matt] Carrick back.”

“In a certain way, we had to force feed Spencer Brown at the end, and that’s going to pay huge dividends for us. Because if you would have told me that at the beginning of the season, I wouldn’t have known, but now we had to force feed him and what he did there at the end, particularly at the bowl game, is very exciting."

“It’s a little hard to say right now, because they’re all getting reps. I see it, but they’re all really young. They’re going non-stop and getting some really good reps. All those guys were really kind of on the scout team, and now they’re thrust into it and taking about every rep. So, I’m excited because they all show potential. We’re not where we need to be, not anywhere close yet, but I think with what they’ve shown it’s exciting what can come.”

On Keon Coleman:

“That’s a hard transition…I think with Keon, we started to see it midway through the season, later in the season, where he started to come on, just in the wide receiver skill set.”

“When you’re doing what he did in high school, and obviously since coming here, by doing both you’re pulled in a lot of different directions. And I felt like through Coach Hawk and through Coach Tabbs? training, he really started to come on in just wide receiver play.”

“I look, now, with his physical-ness and his athletic ability for that to skyrocket. I just think, now that we can get him in there, get him more reps and get him going…hopefully we can take him from where he was at the very end there, the last couple games, and elevate him. I think he could be really a key player for us.”

On running backs:

“It’s a ton of competition right now. Elijah’s been here for some time, and Jordan, those guys are busting it. It’s a very competitive situation right now. They’re all getting a bunch of reps, and one guy that’s a little bit of a newcomer that I’ve been very pleased with is Davion Primm. He’s really done some very good things for us, early in the spring campaign.”

“It’s good. It’s going to be competitive, and then you add Jalen in the mix. So, there’s not many answers that have been decided in that world yet. I think it’s probably going to take some time, I think it’s probably going to take some time even into fall camp. But it’s going to be a highly competitive situation, and those guys are doing solid for us.”

“Once you get through all of this, and then we get into fall camp and you have more numbers…I think it will take care of itself a little bit.”

“We were so bless last year with Ken, let’s be truthful, he made a lot of things right. So, we’ll have to see. Now, I think we’ve got some talented guys in that room that can still do that. We haven’t seen that yet – we’ve seen glimpses of it, but I hope we can see more.”