East Lansing, Mich. - We haven’t seen any games, and only small portions of practice, but if I were to settle on one key takeaway after one week of August camp at Michigan State it would be Payton Thorne’s matured demeanor.

He carries himself like a pro.

He probably had that in him at this time last year, but he hadn’t yet won the starting quarterback job. He put a governor on his willingness to speak for other players, team goals and what’s needed for the entire operation to move forward.

But that’s all changed.

He’s a year older, entering his fourth season in the program, a true upper classman as a redshirt junior with 11 wins as a starting quarterback. He’s not only a big man on campus, he now carries a big voice on campus. He’s not afraid to use it, and for a team and program that is looking to sustain and build, it needs his voice and matured disposition. He has the stripes.

“Our goals haven’t changed, but our expectation has,” Thorne said. “There is a set expectation this year.

“We knew we had a good team last year. We did. We really did. And then we went out and proved that we have a good team.

“This year, we feel like we have a very good team again and now it’s: Okay, we’re taking the next step.”

And on the practice field?

“There is a different feeling this year,” he said.

And he’s part of the reason.

Thorne was pretty good last year. He did more than just manage games. He also managed to deliver game-changing plays in pivotal victories over Michigan and Penn State, among others.

Now can he go from pretty good to very good? Can the team make that step with him, and without Kenneth Walker III?

“We’re not going to leave it up to one guy,” head coach Mel Tucker said when asked if he sees a difference in Thorne this year. “But vocally, he’s the quarterback, he’s the leader of our offense. With that comes a lot of responsibility. He absolutely embraces that.”

Thorne completed 60 percent of his passes last year, throwing for 3,233 yards and a school-record 27 touchdowns.

“The biggest step that he needed to take was just confronting his teammates more and demanding that they get things done properly,” Tucker said.

That’s the leadership and maturity component. It’s only a podium, and it’s only talk, but his disposition is clearly more direct this year.

“When you talk about leadership, last year I was competing for a job, so it wasn’t 100 percent my team, in terms of the way people say it’s the quarterback’s team,” Thorne said. “I always felt I’ve been a leader my whole life on different teams. Sometimes that looks different. This year, obviously I’m going into camp as the starting quarterback. I still have a lot to prove and I want to compete every single day as if it’s not my job.”

Word is that he’s the guy who will bark at teammates next to him if their toe is not completely behind the start line when it’s time to run sprints. He demands that of himself, so when he gets on others, it carries weight - thanks in part to those 11 wins and 27 touchdowns, and genuine credibility.

“We put heavy emphasis during the out-of-season on peer accountability, holding each other accountable, having more of a player-led team than a coach-led team,” Tucker said. “You hear Coach Izzo talk about the importance of that. You can only get so good with a coach-led team. When the players are holding each other accountable, that’s when you have a chance to have a really good football team.”

At this time of year, that means embracing the August grind, when it comes.

“Coach Tucker talked to the team yesterday about stacking days,” Thorne said. “I thought we laid a good foundation (with our first practice). Then we need two good days, and three good days, and we aren’t taking steps back.

“As camp goes on, guys get tired, and guys get little nick-nack injuries. It’s about showing up every day and saying, ‘Nobody cares if we have a little injury. Nobody cares if it’s hot out.’ Everybody is dealing with that stuff. So what are we going to do to excel, and increase our intensity and increase our attention to detail every day?”

Having an established, star quarterback setting the course has to help.

“I think we’re going to do that,” Thorne said.

The feeling was good last year. Now it’s amplified.

“We’re taking the next step with our intensity, with our attention to detail, with our consistency,” Thorne said. “I’m excited about where we’re going.”

Tucker is glad to let a guy like Thorne lead.

“He’s a coach’s kid, so he understands that,” Tucker said. “He has the experience and he has the confidence. He has been on the field and he has produced. His teammates respect him as well, so he has taken the reins of doing that.

“He’s not the only one. We need a lot of guys to do that. If something is not right on the field and everyone knows what the standards are, before I get there or before the coaches get there, someone on the field has to handle it. That’s when you know you’re cooking with gas.”