Tommy Stevens completed his first collegiate pass in 2016 in front of then-Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead.
Stevens, who graduate-transferred from Penn State in April, will complete his next pass for Moorhead as well — at Mississippi State, as the Bulldogs' starting quarterback.
BREAKING: Tommy Stevens has been named Mississippi State’s starting quarterback. #HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/3cB8jhF4oU
— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) August 22, 2019
MORE: Stevens' entrance into portal shows importance of grad transfer rule
Stevens logged stats in three different seasons with the Nittany Lions as Trace McSorley's backup. He was viewed as a strong candidate — if not the favorite — to replace McSorley in 2019. He instead followed Moorhead, who is now in his second year coaching in Starkville. Stevens announced his decision in May.
The former three-star, dual-threat prospect completed 24 of 41 attempts for 304 yards and four touchdowns to one interception at Penn State, adding 76 rushes for 506 yards and eight touchdowns. Moorhead was Penn State's offensive coordinator for Stevens' redshirt-freshman and sophomore campaigns.
Stevens won the competition over fellow Bulldogs quarterbacks Keytaon Thompson, Jalen Mayden, Garrett Shrader and Logan Burnett. Thompson, who backed up Nick Fitzgerald in 2018 and was considered Stevens' primary competition, completed 18 of 39 attempts for 458 yards with six touchdowns and one interception. He also carried the ball 24 times for 226 yards.
