This fall was supposed to be Tommy Stevens’ time at Penn State. After patiently waiting behind entrenched starter Trace McSorley, the path to the field as the team’s starter was finally clear for Stevens this offseason. Then, suddenly exiting the spring, Stevens announced he planned to leave the Penn State program.

Now he’s looking for an opportunity to take the field and show what he can do his final season in college football. With Nick Fitzgerald no longer on the roster at Mississippi State and former Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead running the Hail State program, a move to Starkville makes sense for Stevens. While many presume Keytaon Thompson will be MSU’s starter in the fall, that’s not been announced by Moorhead at this point.

After failing to land former Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant this offseason, Mississippi State is still on the market to land a graduate transfer signal caller. According to Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports, Stevens plans on visiting Mississippi State on Thursday. That trip will follow Stevens’ initial trips to Miami of Ohio and Illinois.

Without question, Mississippi State is the best program on that list but Stevens may be looking for a guarantee of playing time before making his decision. If he wasn’t eager to sit at Penn State, it doesn’t make much sense that he would pick Mississippi State only to sit behind Thompson next season in Starkville.

Stevens will be immediately eligible to play at whichever school he picks in the coming weeks, as he is a graduate transfer from Penn State. While he’s never been the team’s starter under center, Stevens already ranks 8th in QB rushing yards in Penn State history. He’s seen action in 16 games over the previous two seasons at Penn State and appears to be a plug and play option for the school he ultimately picks.