EAST LANSING – Michigan State finished spring practice without much clarity at quarterback behind starter Payton Thorne. Now in the middle of preseason camp, the picture is beginning to clear up, according to Jay Johnson.

Johnson, who is the quarterbacks coach in addition to his duties as offensive coordinator, said third-year sophomore Noah Kim "probably" would be Thorne's backup if the season started this week.

"He's really been doing some positive things," Johnson said Thursday. "I think he's matured a little bit and continues to grow — really had a solid spring, but then I think he's followed that up with some great work this summer in preparation and has been performing again at a pretty consistently high level. So I'm excited to see him again when we get some more live situations to see how he responds, how he manages the team."

Johnson stressed the battle is far from over, noting true freshman Katin Houser will continue to push Kim for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart.

"We'll continue to kind of evaluate that probably in the next eight to 10 days," Johnson said. "But we try to monitor the reps very, very diligently every day and really give all the guys a bunch of reps. It's a little bit hard to (name a backup) at this point, just because you really only had that one live deal and that's where you really get a lot of great information. So I think we'll have a better idea once we get into next week."

Though he's in his third year with the Spartans, Kim has yet to appear in a game. He redshirted in 2020 and didn't play last season. As for what he's doing now to impress Johnson, Kim said he simply is doing his job.

"I think it's really just learning, taking in the knowledge that they're giving me, showing it on the field," he said. "You're receiving knowledge, so you've got to produce."

That's why he pays little attention to where he might rank on the depth chart.

"Honestly, the way I look at it, I don't feel like I'm in a specific (spot): one, two, three or four," he said. "I feel like I'm always at the bottom and I'm always competing every single day. I've got to earn my spot every single day, and that's how I attack every single day."

Pointing to the competition in the quarterback room, particularly from Houser, Kim said he never lets himself become too comfortable.

"Things can change at any moment," he said, "so as long as I focus on myself and keep trying to progress, I think I should be OK."

Houser, the highly touted signal-caller who enrolled in January, said his biggest improvements since the spring have come in the areas one might expect: learning the playbook and developing chemistry with his teammates. Fighting Kim for reps, he said, only makes both of them better.

"Noah's a really good player. I'm happy to be competing against him," Houser said. "He's done really good. He's got experience. He runs the offense really well. So we're just going to keep it battling out and see how that turns out. But I'm excited for this year."

To beat Kim for the backup spot, Houser said he'll need to accomplish two things by the end of camp.

"I've just got to keep building rapport with the team," he said, "and I've got to start building trust with the coaches so they trust me to put me in a game."

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Kim and Houser's lack of experience means MSU will try to work them into games this fall — "if the opportunity presents itself," Johnson said.

"You'd like to get that next (man) up, whoever that might be or however that (may happen), to get some of those reps," he said. "Last year the way it worked, we really didn't have any of those opportunities. Payton ended up going the whole way. But definitely, if we can do that — if the situation is right — we will absolutely try to get those guys involved."

Kim's confidence belies his inexperience.

"I think with me, honestly, if I need to go into a game — God forbid something happens (to Thorne) — if I played a snap or if I hadn't played a snap, I'll be OK. That's just my mindset," he said. "I've been practicing that way. I go into every practice like it's a game, and like Coach Tuck (Mel Tucker) says, 'The practices are harder than the games.' That's how he tries to make it. I think once that time comes, I'll be ready."

Houser was less sure of himself, admitting there are "some things I still haven't seen yet" in terms of defensive alignments. That time is coming, though.

"As far as running the plays, running the offense," he said, "I feel like I'm confident that I can do that."

He won't consider 2022 a successful season if he remains on the sideline the entire time.

"I definitely want to get in a game and get that experience, because I feel like I need that experience," he said. "I just want to learn as much as I can and try to learn the offense as best I can."

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Unlike previous seasons, Johnson didn't enter this year's camp trying to identify a starting quarterback. But make no mistake, that didn't change the way he coaches on the practice field or challenges his players in the film room.

He's aware that he's always on a razor's edge, one play away from having to hand the reins of the offense to a backup.

"A lot of times, you need more guys, so I'm trying to develop them all to be ready to go," he said. "That's always been my approach."

Contact Ryan Black at rblack@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @RyanABlack.