In the last four or five days, Auburn's quarterback situation has evolved even further.
T.J. Finley announced he's transferring out of the program, Nebraska's Casey Thompson was on campus and perhaps the biggest news, a new name entered the conversation. Michigan State's Payton Thorne entered the transfer portal Sunday, quickly becoming a name to watch as Auburn targets a portal quarterback.
Who is Thorne? What's he accomplished? Let's take a look at the quarterback's resume.
Originally from Naperville, Illinois, Thorne was rated as a three-star quarterback who spent over seven months committed to Western Michigan. However, on early signing day, he flipped to Michigan State and signed on with the Spartans as a member of their 2019 recruiting class.
As a true freshman, Thorne did not make an appearance in a game and opted to redshirt for the season.
The following season, he made three appearances off the bench and started one game, the season finale against Penn State. He went 22-for-39 with 325 yards passing, three touchdowns and had one pass intercepted in a 39-24 loss.
In 2021, Thorne won the starting job and led the Spartans to their highest win total in six years, winning 11 games as the starter. His completion percentage for the season was just over 60%, as he threw for a Michigan State single-season record 27 touchdowns and had 10 passes intercepted. Thorne also had 3,240 yards passing that year with a PFF grade of 77.6.
It's worth mentioning that Auburn has not had a quarterback throw for over 3,000 yards in a season since Jarrett Stidham did in 2017.
Thorne failed to duplicate his success in 2022, as his numbers dropped off from the previous season. He threw for 19 touchdowns and had 11 passes intercepted, while failing to reach the 3,000 yards passing mark. Nonetheless, he still recorded over 2,600 yards passing and saw his completion rate reach an all-time high of 62.5% with a PFF grade still in the 70s, at 71.8.
Auburn will have at least three scholarship quarterbacks on its roster in the fall, but the idea is to add a fourth from the portal. Right now, Thompson and Thorne appear to be the frontrunners.
