Hugh Freeze breaks down why he wanted to add Payton Thorne to quarterback room

Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers are elated to have landed former Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne via the NCAA Transfer Portal.

It was a great get for Freeze’s first season on the job, as he added to a talented quarterback room that already included incumbent starting quarterback Robby Ashford. While Freeze has been complimentary of Ashford since getting to Auburn, he believes the addition of Thorne will help exponentially, as he explained while speaking to the media.

“His leadership, his experience, his toughness and his football IQ,” explained Freeze. “I just think he’s won football games in a very good conference. I think it elevates that room. I’ve said it’s all about competition, and again I want to say I’m excited about Robby. I’m excited about Holden Geriner.

“I just look forward to that competition that’s going to make us all better if handled the right way. So I think it definitely improved us.”

Evidently, Ashford shares the same sentiment, as he tweeted “Iron sharpens iron” after the news broke regarding his new teammate. Whether it’s Ashford or Thorne leading the Tigers, Freeze believes they’ll make each other better.

Another person who shares that belief is ESPN analyst Greg McElroy. The former college football star thinks Thorne will end up as a very solid fit for Auburn from what he said on ‘Always College Football’.

That’s because, with Todd Phillips calling plays, the Tigers should end up as a team that leans more toward the run. That will open things up for Thorne who, while in East Lansing, found success in play-action scenarios.

“With how Auburn’s likely moving offensively? You’ve got to anticipate (for) Phillip Montgomery, the new offensive coordinator. Everyone’s talking about Hugh Freeze and his offensive acumen. (But) Hugh Freeze has always scored points, whether it be at Liberty or Ole Miss,” McElroy explained. “He’s always scored points but, by all accounts, he’s delegating responsibilities to Phillip Montgomery. If you look at Phillip Montgomery’s tenure as the head coach at Tulsa? They were a team that wanted to pound the football.”

“They wanted to pound the football, they wanted to run the football. (And) they wanted to compliment the run game with the play-action pass,” said McElroy. “That’s what Payton Thorne has excelled with in the past. I expect him to have a really nice year.”

Time will tell how high Auburn can fly if Payton Thorne is leading the way, but the point remains that the Tigers are better now than they were before with him on their roster.