For many reasons, Western Michigan fit Naperville Central’s Payton Thorne perfectly as he contemplated his playing career in college.
His relationship with Broncos coach Tim Lester went back years. He had a special connection with wide receiver and former teammate Jayden Reed.
That made the choice an easy one in May when Thorne committed.
But on Friday, Thorne announced the difficult decision to decommit from Western Michigan. The 6-foot-2, 188-pound quarterback plans to sign instead on Dec. 19 with coach Mark Dantonio and Michigan State.
“Western Michigan has been great to me,” Thorne said. “Coach Lester has obviously been great to me. He’s like an uncle to me. Coach (Eric) Evans, the quarterback coach, has been great to me.
“It was really a tough decision — the hardest decision of my life.”
After taking an official visit last weekend to Kalamazoo, Mich., Thorne spent Monday and Tuesday in East Lansing, Mich., on an official visit to Michigan State.
It left a lasting impression.
“A big part of their program is their faith, and Coach Dantonio speaks a lot about that,” Thorne said. “I saw that as a big similarity to what I’ve grown up with, and then seeing the stability of the coaching staff is another thing.
“Just that level of football — that’s been my dream to play at a place like that. Before I started high school, I made a list of five schools I would love to play at, and Michigan State was on that list.”
Thorne, the 2018 Naperville Sun Football Player of the Year, threw for 3,079 yards and 40 touchdowns as a senior. He also was named the offensive player of the year by the DuPage Valley Conference.
In three varsity seasons, including his sophomore year at Metea Valley before transferring to Naperville Central, Thorne passed for 7,008 yards and 83 TDs.
Now, he’s thrilled about having the chance to compete in the Big Ten.
“I felt like I’ve played at the highest level that I could so far,” Thorne said. “And I just really enjoy that atmosphere and playing at that kind of place.
“After leaving Michigan State, I just had a peace about me. I thought that was the place for me. I talked with my parents and my friends and family, and we just thought that was the right place for me and my future.”
Blake Baumgartner is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.