Hugh Freeze discusses Payton Thorne decision, battle around Auburn's QB position
AUBURN — Auburn football head coach Hugh Freeze met the media on Thursday afternoon for the third time since the start of fall camp. The main topic of the day was quarterbacks, as Freeze confirmed the decision to name Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne as Auburn’s starting quarterback for the opener against UMass on September 2.
Thorne beat out sophomore Robby Ashford and redshirt freshman Holden Geriner for the job. Observers told Auburn Live both Ashford and Geriner improved this fall, but Thorne was never unseated as the projected starter.
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Here’s what Freeze said about the Thorne decision, the quarterback battle and more:
Auburn Live and other outlets reported the Thorne news earlier on Thursday morning. Freeze addressed the reports and confirmed the Thorne news. Here’s his opening comments on the quarterback situation in full:
“I was going to, but you guys seem to know everything before it happens. That’s interesting to me because only four people knew that. I didn’t even tell the staff. That’s interesting how everything works today, but it’s a different day and time. I’ve decided to start Payton Thorne. I totally believe that Robby (Ashford) and Holden (Geriner), we can win games with any of the three. A lot of that will depend on how we play defensively and how the supporting cast plays. I believe in all three of those guys.
“There are days where there’s been very little separation. I believe, my gut is usually right. When I follow my gut, and I’m not saying my gut is right that Payton is the guy for all 12 games, but my gut is saying it’s the time to do this. I’m hoping that all three will handle that news extremely well and continue to work. I believe with all my hear that Robby Ashford gives us an absolute better chance to win the game if he accepts this news and continues to develop himself. He might be the most freakish athlete I’ve ever had at quarterback.
“To this point, the separation is the reason Payton is getting the nod. The leadership ability and understanding of the offense, he’s been in some really good battles. It seems like he’s been more efficient in his decision making to this point, not that the others were terrible by any means. It wasn’t a slam dunk. I hope everyone will handle it right. You compete and continue to compete. Once somebody gets that job, they have to hold onto it.
“The quarterback situation is set going into UMass. It’s done. He’ll get all the reps with the ones. Robby will get most of the reps with the twos. I feel like that’s where we are unless there’s injuries.”
When it comes to choosing a starting quarterback, Freeze opened up about the difficulty about delivering the news.
“It’s not easy. It’s difficult. You watch those other two kids compete hard for it and train all summer, and work for this moment, and you know what that’s like. Everybody doesn’t always get the prize they won’t. How you respond to that will determine more about you and pay more dividends in life and football, if you accept it, don’t like it, but go back to work and see what happens. Last year at Liberty, we played four quarterbacks because of injuries. You never know when your time is coming and what you’re going to do with it when it comes. If you make the most of that, you might not ever see the bench again.”
Freeze made it a point to single out Ashford, who he maintains will “always have a package” in the Tigers’ offense.
“If he handles all of this the right way, he’ll always have a package because he adds an element to us that’s a little different.”
Freeze added about Ashford packages, “Robby isn’t just a runner, he’s a dynamic runner. Hopefully his consistency will improve so whatever package he’s in, they have to respect the pass off of it also.”
Following last Saturday’s scrimmage, Freeze said his mind was made up heading into the practice, but he needed to rethink some things coming out of practice. Freeze provided more clarity on those comments on Thursday.
“I felt like it was Payton going into that scrimmage, but in the scrimmage, I felt like he pressed too much. I didn’t like that. That’s one of the reasons I’m at this point. I want to see what he does. I want the guy to go back to relaxing and playing within the system. And Robby had a really good Saturday, comparatively.”
Without wasting any time, Freeze was asked if he anticipates the rest of the quarterbacks sticking around or considering a transfer. Freeze laughed, saying, “what a world.”
“I don’t know. What do you think I should do? Every man has to do what he thinks is right for himself. This idea that just because you got some difficult news that you should consider bolting on your team, that ain’t the world I come from you. That’s not how I was raised with a team. I sure hope that that’s not the case. I haven’t heard any of that. I hope they’ll go to work.”
Thorne’s understanding of the offense was one of, if not the main reason he’s been named the starter for the opener.
“The guy is in here all the time. I can’t get rid of him. He knows the ins and outs of what we’re thinking…every aspect of the pass game, run game, he’s a pro at knowing how to prepare. That gives you a comfort level. you feel like he’s going to have the right mindset and understanding of the game plan, and hopefully the others will also. I’m confident he is by the way he approaches it every day.”
Freeze saw improvements from Geriner, too.
“Holden is the most natural passer of all of the, truthfully. He’s still absorbing. There’s a lot of times he’s not made the right decision maybe in the RPO game, his reads, getting the protection set the right way, but he’s got a bright future. There’s no doubt in my mind.”
More on the Thorne decision
Following last Saturday’s scrimmage, Freeze said he “had his mind made up” on the quarterback pecking order before the scrimmage, but the day’s action shook some things up. After another few days of fall camp, the decision is settled. All three quarterbacks have been notified of the decision, sources tell Auburn Live.
At the start of fall camp, Freeze said of Thorne, “it’s impossible for you not to visit with Payton because he demands it. My phone every day, ‘hey coach, you have any free time today? Hey coach, you have any free time?’ I love that about him.
“I feel very comfortable with who he is, his leadership, his desire and preparation, his football IQ, but you have to make plays. I haven’t seen that yet and truthfully, I’m excited about the competition between he, Robby and Holden. It’ll make them all better.”
Freeze’s goal during fall camp was to “create adverse situations” for his quarterbacks in order to determine the best man for the job.
“Are they evaluating the coverages correctly? Is the ball going to the right spot? Is the decision to stay with the run or get into the RPO off that, all those things will be evaluated,” Freeze said earlier in camp. “Who does the team rally around the most? We have a good plan of the rotation between those three guys (Thorne, Ashford and Geriner). They’re all going to rotate pretty evenly. We’ll evaluate all those reps and recalibrate. We’ll sit down and go from there after the first five.”
New offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery reiterated much of what Freeze said about Thorne, calling the transfer quarterback a “professional” in his overall approach to the game.
“He’s another guy that you’ve got to run out of the building. He’s always watching tape, he’s always studying at home. He will text me, ‘hey, what do I read on this, or what am I doing on that? I saw this on tape, how are we progressing through this?’ He wants to be on top of every detail that is involved in our offense,” Montgomery said.
“He’s seeing things now at a really good rate. You have to remember, he wasn’t here in spring, so some of the things that he’s picked up on. We have to get everybody else around that to be on the same page with him. I think he does a great job with his leadership, he’s disciplined and he’s professional about what he does.”
Thorne threw for 6,493 yards, 49 touchdowns and 24 interceptions during his three seasons at Michigan State. He transferred to Auburn following spring camp, arriving during the summer.
