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Stevens will play QB at Mississippi State

From Mirror reports

Tommy Stevens has found a new home, and it’s no surprise at all where the former Penn State quarterback is transferring.

Stevens is heading to Mississippi State, where he will reunite with his former Nittany Lion offensive coordinator, Joe Moorhead.

Stevens entered the transfer portal last month, and many believed he ultimately would decide on Mississippi State, where Moorhead will be in his second season as head coach this fall.

As a graduate transfer, Stevens will be eligible to play immediately at MSU.

“After carefully considering the numerous opportunities presented to me, taking four official visits and weighing the most important factors to my family and I, I have decided for my fifth and final year of eligibility I will be joining Coach Moorhead and his staff at Mississippi State University,” Stevens posted on social media.

“I am very blessed to have the opportunity to go to a place like MSU, where I can create more relationships and more experiences. A place that will give me the opportunity to compete at the highest level and also a place where I can expand my education even further. I couldn’t be more excited to be a Bulldog!”

Stevens was long considered the frontrunner to be PSU’s starting quarterback this season, after serving as the backup for most of the past three years.

But Stevens had foot surgery in December and was limited during spring practice. Given that, Penn State coach James Franklin decided not to name Stevens the starter, instead saying he would be in a competition with Sean Clifford.

Stevens’ father did not like that there were no guarantees at PSU for his son during his final year of college eligibility.

However, Stevens won’t have any guarantees that he’ll be the starter this fall at Mississippi State, either. He will have to compete with junior Keytaon Thompson, who has a good bit of experience in his two seasons, and two freshmen.

Thompson has completed 50-of-105 passes for 846 yards, eight TDs and three interceptions for the Bulldogs as a backup to previous starter Nick Fitzgerald.

By comparison, Stevens has thrown only 41 passes in college, completing 24 for 304 yards, four TDs and one interception.

Stevens has rushed for 506 yards and eight TDs, while Thompson has rushed for 672 yards and 10 scores.

“Tommy is very talented and will be an excellent addition to our roster,” Moorhead said in a team statement. “He will have the opportunity to compete at quarterback this season. With nearly 100 days until kickoff, we are excited about our summer preparations as we continue to build a program that will make Mississippi State fans proud.”

Stevens never got a chance to live up to his potential at Penn State, but he enjoyed his time there and earned a degree.

“I have dreamed of playing football at the highest level for as long as I can remember,” Stevens wrote in his statement. “Penn State made that possible for me when I was offered the opportunity back in 2014. I am forever thankful for that. … I will forever be a Nittany Lion.”

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