Ad Disclosure
Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze on Thursday announced that Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne would be the starting quarterback for the Tigers. He talked with WJOX’s Greg McElroy and Cole Cubelic to discuss why he chose Thorne to be the starting quarterback and the potential of the offense with him behind center.
.@AuburnFootball head coach @CoachHughFreeze details naming Payton Thorne QB1, Auburn’s offensive weapons & building on the momentum from the offseason! https://t.co/Lrdwq24JBG
— McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning (@macandcube) August 18, 2023
“Those decision are always difficult, particularly if you have other guys that have played and competed well and even outshined the starter on some days,” Freeze said of the decision. “Robby is the most freakish athlete I’ve ever coached at the position and I hope he handles the news right.”
Freeze elaborated on how he and his staff keep track of everything the quarterback does from putting the team in proper protections, to the accuracy of throws, to making the right read. Thorne, according to Freeze has a slight edge in those regards.
“It came down to…I really think his understanding of what we are trying to do offensively, he gets it,” Freeze said. “He has an advantage that he’s a grad kid and has a lot more time. It shows on the field.”
McElroy compared Thorne to Bo Wallace or Chad Kelly in terms of skill set and competitiveness. Freeze coached Wallace and Kelly while at Ole Miss and agreed that that is a viable comparison.
“He’s going to run better than you give him credit for, and I think people will be shocked that he can do some good things with his legs when he needs to,” Freeze said. “He’s like Chad in that Chad could use his legs when he needed to. He has the football IQ that Chad had, he’s really sharp.”
Freeze also pointed out that another determining factor is how Thorne’s teammates in the huddle look around him and what level of confidence they get from his presence.
“It is a daily task to create a locker room and a team that will truly put the team first,” Freeze said. “We live in a day and time where the outs are really easy and the complaining comes really easy. My message to the team was to not complain about anything you aren’t willing to fix.”
Freeze explained that he has found that he has been laid back and calm in recent years of coaching during practice. This fall, Freeze says he’s had to go back to what he used to be, calling himself a “chief jerk,” citing that that is what has worked for the team thus far.
Current Missouri student entering my third year of covering Tiger football and basketball. Contributor to The Transfer Portal CFB and overall college athletics enthusiast.
