Michigan State quarterback Tyler O’Connor didn’t wait long after the 2015 season to start looking ahead to this year. By the time the fifth-year senior left AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in the first hours of the new year following the Spartans' loss to Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinal, he was the starting quarterback in his mind.
“In the locker room after that Alabama game, we felt for the seniors, but I put in my head that day this is my team,” he said Monday. “It’s my time to step up.”
O’Connor’s haste is understandable.