Quarterbacks shuffle for MSU football

The quarterback shuffle has officially reached full-throttle in East Lansing.

A day after Keith Nichol announced his intentions to sign with MSU, sophomore Nick Foles has decided to leave the school and seek playing opportunities closer to his home in Austin, Texas.

He’ll receive his official release from MSU on Thursday, his father, Larry Foles, told The State News on Wednesday.

Although Nichol’s arrival sparked Foles’ decision to transfer, the 1,400-mile distance between Austin and East Lansing was the main reason he left, Larry Foles said.

“The reason he decided to play up there was because Nichol decided to play for Oklahoma,” he said. “ When Nichol decided to return, Nick decided he wanted to play closer to home.”

Nichol and Foles were both recruited by MSU in 2006. Nichol verbally committed to MSU in high school, but decided to sign with Oklahoma when former head coach John L. Smith was fired.

After talking with head coach Mark Dantonio, Foles decided leaving was in his best interest, Larry Foles said.

“He would have figured out what to do and kept his commitment there because he promised Dantonio he’d stay,” he said. “But when this happened, it got him into thinking and he decided to come back to Texas and look for something closer.”

Foles’ departure represents the third change this week to MSU’s depth chart at quarterback. On Sunday, sophomore Connor Dixon opted to transfer, leaving senior Brian Hoyer and sophomore Kirk Cousins as the team’s only holdovers from a season ago.

Foles was expected to rival Cousins this summer for the role of Hoyer’s backup. Some considered him the favorite to replace Hoyer as starter in 2009, especially after a strong performance during April’s spring scrimmage in which he finished 10-15 with 102 yards.