If you trust Rico Beard of 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit, then you can feel a little better knowing Rocky Lombardi is going to be the Spartans starting quarterback this season.
Beard — co-host of The Valenti Show with Rico — said on Wednesday that he doesn’t “know for a fact” but is very confident that Lombardi will be the starting quarterback for Michigan State on Saturday against Rutgers.
“I would probably put it at 80% it’s Rocky Lombardi,” Beard said during The Valenti Show with Rico.
Saying he’s 80% confident Lombardi will be the starter isn’t groundbreaking news as many believe he’ll win the three-way QB battle, which also includes sophomore Theo Day and redshirt freshman Payton Thorne. However, Beard followed that up with a more juicy claim involving Lombardi that he’s “been hearing” from someone with inside knowledge on the football program.
“I’ve been hearing what you saw in previous years, this is a different Rocky, this is a better Rocky,” Beard said. “I know we’ve seen him, he goes out there (and) he’s one-read Rocky. He shotputs the ball in the air, but they are saying this guy — to use your word for the day, Mike — has evolved. He has become a better quarterback.”
Beard — who attend Michigan State — recently joined Mike Valenti — a fellow MSU alum — as his co-host earlier this year at 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit, but has been close to Spartan athletics for a very long time. So hearing this kind of claim from Beard carries some weight.
Lombardi has appeared in 11 career games with some positive but also negative results — but he has by far the most experience of the bunch. On Tuesday during his game week press conference, head coach Mel Tucker said no decision on the starting quarterback had been made yet and that a “fierce competition” is still taking place.
Ultimately, we’ll find out in just a few days who the starter is and within a few weeks we’ll know if Lombardi has truly evolved into a better quarterback or not — should be named the starter.
Click here to listen to the full Lombardi segment on The Valenti Show with Rico.
