Hugh Freeze addresses whether Hank Brown loses out on development behind Payton Thorne

Auburn and head coach Hugh Freeze suffered a serious setback to the 2024 campaign on Saturday when it lost at home to California 21-14. And quarterback questions continue to plague the Tigers.

After throwing for 322 yards and four touchdowns without an interception in the season opener, Thorne had a complete reversal in Week 2.

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He threw four interceptions in the game against the Golden Bears and was generally unreliable as the Tigers floundered on offense. That has left Hugh Freeze facing questions about whether he’ll make a change.

One question was particularly pointed on the SEC teleconference call on Wednesday. Does Freeze worry about the backups — like Hank Brown — missing out on valuable reps early in the schedule based on his loyalty to Thorne?

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“Yeah, I think about all that stuff,” Hugh Freeze said. “I wake up thinking about it, I go to bed thinking about it. Obviously you want to give your team the best chance to win the football game.”

So far, Freeze’s calculus has come up in Thorne’s favor as the starting quarterback. But that can always change.

What might it take for a change?

“I think the value of practice is always the most important thing,” Hugh Freeze said. “Whoever’s the best there is probably the one you should go with. Not sure that that’s 100% accurate all the time but that’s how you usually make a decision.”

To date, Thorne has been the guy that has been the most reliable in practice. At a certain point, though, whether you can get that to translate to games becomes a relevant factor.

Freeze admitted as much.

“Obviously there comes a point where you’ve got to perform in the games,” the Auburn head coach said. “And really, I’m Payton’s biggest fan because I just have chosen to believe in him. Again, there, yes, there are plays he should get right. There’s also some that weren’t all his fault, even though the stat line, those interceptions go to him it’s not always just on him.”

So will Auburn make a change? That remains to be seen.

But apparently it’s very much on the table.

“To say we’re not thinking about every scenario would not be the truth,” Hugh Freeze said. “We’re always contemplating and evaluating. Certainly after a game like Saturday even more.”