Evaluating Auburn’s quarterback situation entering 2024
At least for now, Auburn appears ready to roll into the 2024 season with Payton Thorne as its starting quarterback. The Tigers did not add a quarterback through the transfer portal this past cycle and have a pair of freshman behind Thorne in Hank Brown and Walker White.
Auburn ranked last in the SEC this past season with 162.2 passing yards per game and finished with a 6-7 record with Thorne, who transferred from Michigan State. The quarterback threw for under 100 yards five times in 2023 and cracked 200 yards only twice, one of which came against FBS competition.
Still, coach Hugh Freeze believes Thorne has what it takes to improve upon last year. He showed what he was capable of during his two season with the Spartans, throwing for a combined 6,501 yards, 49 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.
On3‘s Phillip Dukes joined Andy Staples on his podcast Monday to break down the quarterback situation in Auburn.
“I was privy to the conversations about some of the receivers they were recruiting through the transfer portal,” he said. “What I was hearing was they were showing how Payton Thorne improved as the season went on. How his reads got better and he wasn’t getting the most help from his receivers when it comes to opportunities that they were missing by dropping balls and not running crisp routes.
“When I went back and looked at the tape, I did see that when Payton Thorne was on schedule and playing with pace, he was a much better quarterback than when he was looking over his shoulder and kind of jumping the gun because he was afraid of the pass rush. The Music City Bowl you would hope is more so of an aberration. But for an Auburn fan you can understand that when you see multiple games under 100 yards passing how that looks more consistent than the positive games.”
Thorne went just 13-of-27 for 84 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a Music City Bowl loss to Maryland. However, the Tigers made sure to to stock up on weapons through the transfer portal to hopefully lead to better results this year.
That includes former Maryland tight end Rico Walker and Georgia State receiver Robert Lewis. Sam Jackson played quarterback for California as a true freshman, but is expected to make the switch to receiver with the Tigers.
Ultimately, Dukes isn’t ruling out the possibility that Auburn could go to the portal in the spring if Thorne doesn’t do enough to prove he’s taken a step forward. For now, however, it’s his job to lose.
“I do think that Auburn is not gonna overspend for a quarterback when they have somebody they feel can take that next step in a second year,” Dukes said. “But I also feel like after spring, if there is a quarterback they feel like can run and pass and has the capability to lead a locker room and deal with the pressure of coming into a job with a presumed starter, then I think you could see Auburn make a move.”