Payton Thorne, 'ain't going to lead you to the promised land,' anonymous opposing coach believes

Anonymous coaches aren’t a big fan of Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne. After transferring last year from Michigan State, Thorne was expected to stabilize the quarterback position.

While it was a mixed bag, head coach Hugh Freeze said he was a believer in his quarterback coming out of spring practice. Others don’t seem to think so.

How does it all pan out in 2024? According to anonymous coaches, Thorne won’t take the Tigers over the top.

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“I saw Auburn in a bowl game (31-13 loss to Maryland in Music City Bowl) and it was the least talented Auburn team I’ve seen in 50 years,” one coach said. “They were awful. They lost a lot of kids before the game, a lot opted out of the game. But they were completely disheveled.”

In that game, Thorne went 13 of 27 passing for 84 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Thorne and Auburn saw a lot of disappointment in 2023, particularly in the Iron Bowl. The Tigers had the Crimson Tide dead to rights until a miracle heave from Jalen Milroe. 

“You’re Auburn in a down year,” the second coach said. “Alabama is a College Football Playoff team. You’ve got them beat, it’s fourth-and-31 and you lose. That should never happen. It’s got to be the worst play in college football, except maybe Cal scoring against Stanford with the band on the field. The best thing Auburn did was get rid of (DC) Ron Roberts.”

Then, the final nail in the coffin regarding Thorne. The third coach can’t see a successful offense without a dynamic quarterback.

“You need a dynamic guy like Cam Newton to run your offense, or one of those guys Auburn had in the past,” the coach said. “Payton Thorne ain’t going to lead you to the promised land. He’s an average player.”

However, Freeze doesn’t particularly believe that’s true, it seems. He’s locked in with Payton Thorne as his starting quarterback once again, and it’s evident the coach is a big time believer in the former transfer from the Big Ten.

“I’m a believer in Payton,” Freeze said in May “Obviously, I know that, you know, quarterbacks, they’re either going to take praise or criticism, there’s nowhere in between. He certainly has had his good and bad moments, but I do believe, with better pieces around him, that he has the ability to be a great leader, and a really solid quarterback in this league.

“I think he senses, more of a cohesiveness, in the staff and what we’re trying to do, that fits his skillset. So hopefully, that will translate into him playing more confidently.”