KeAndre Lambert-Smith – Page 3

Brian’s Column: Auburn’s new weapons need to make a statement on Saturday

On paper, this is far and away the best starting wide receiver core Auburn has had in some time.

The Auburn offense heads into the 2024 season after spending much of 2023 in a state of flux. While quarterback Payton Thorne showed flashes of competence, specifically in the late SEC season, his lack of explosive weapons and inexperience in the Hugh Freeze offense led the Tigers to one of the worst offensive outputs in the conference.

Still, Auburn was able to win six games behind a dynamic defense that was consistently ranked in the top 20 in ESPN’s Football Power Index. That defense lost some key pieces this offseason however, further creating a need to [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag], Hugh Freeze, Derrick Nix, and the Auburn offense to carry a bigger load in 2024.

If the Tigers are going to have a successful campaign, the offense needs not only improve, but improve drastically. That needs to start on Saturday against Alabama A&M, and it starts with the pass catching threats on the outside.

Only two wide receivers eclipsed the 300-yard mark a season ago on the Plains. Those players, [autotag]Jay Fair[/autotag] and [autotag]Ja’Varrius Johnson[/autotag], both play college ball for different programs now. Only two incumbent wide receivers that made a decent impact, [autotag]Caleb Burton II[/autotag] (226 yards, 2023) and [autotag]Camden Brown[/autotag] (110 yards, 2023) remain on the Auburn roster this season.

The Tigers do return tight end [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] and his team-leading 394 receiving yards from a season ago, but Payton Thorne needs to have faith in other weapons outside the numbers when Auburn kicks off its season in a tomorrow. Those weapons, which are all due to make their Auburn debut, have plenty of talent. On Saturday, they have to prove to Thorne, Hugh Freeze, and the Auburn family that they can make an impact.

Auburn’s top receiving trio is set to be Penn State transfer [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag], Georgia State transfer [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag], and five-star recruit [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag]. Each respective member of the trio has high expectations going into this season for different reasons. If they all live up to or exceed those expectations, Auburn’s offense could be one of the best in the conference.

Lambert-Smith comes to the Plains after an illustrious career in Happy Valley. His 123 career receptions and 1,721 receiving yards rank just outside the top 15 in Penn State history, and he likely would have entered the top 5 in both categories had he stayed in State College for his final year of eligibility. The 6-foot-1, 182-pound big-play threat decided to join Hugh Freeze on the Plains however, where he’ll likely slot in as the “Z receiver”. He and his 13.7 yards per reception give Auburn a proven, experienced, number one receiver that it hasn’t rostered since Seth Williams. If Auburn’s offense is going to reach its potential, the senior needs to be the first Tiger to surpass 800 yards since the aforementioned Williams in 2019.

Auburn’s projected starting slot receiver, Georgia State transfer [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag], brings much of the same pure speed and route running ability as Lambert-Smith. After hauling in a team-leading 70 receptions for 877 yards in 2023, Lewis has the potential to become a quicker and more explosive version of [autotag]Jay Fair[/autotag], who racked up 31 receptions for 324 yards in this scheme a season ago. While Lewis’s 40-yard speed of 4.45 isn’t as fast as Lambert-Smith’s blazing 4.30, he’s shown elite ability to make defenders miss around the line of scrimmage. When the Auburn offense is at its best, Lewis will be in motion, catching short passes that open up the opposing linebackers, allowing the Auburn run game to thrive.

While the two transfers offer incredible quickness and speed, freshman Cam Coleman has the potential to become a true, dominant, “WR1”, or X receiver, on the Plains. The 18-year-old’s 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame combined with a 4.40 40-time give him all the physical tools needed to dominate in the SEC. There will be growing pains, but if the Phenix City, AL native can put it all together in his freshman season, Auburn’s ceiling could be as high as the College Football Playoff.

On paper, this is far and away the best starting wide receiver core Auburn has had in some time. With freshman Perry “Uno” Thompson and Bryce Cain waiting in the wings as well, quarterback Payton Thorne has little excuse to not take a major step forward in his final season on the Plains. That step forward must begin in the season opener against Alabama A&M.

The Tigers are heavy favorites, and the receiving core needs to show why on Saturday. If they don’t, things could derail quickly for Auburn.

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Tale of the Tape: Auburn vs. Alabama A&M

Will a dive into the tale of the tape show Alabama A&M has a higher chance of shocking the college football world than the experts believe?

In-state SWAC opponent Alabama A&M travels onto the Plains this weekend to open the season against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

While the Bulldogs aren’t nearly as fierce of a rival as the more well-known SEC squad with the same mascot, Alabama A&M did finish 2023 with a respectable 5-6 record.

As for the home team, Auburn went bowling last season after finishing the regular season slate 6-6. Unfortunately the Tigers played a tune on the world’s saddest violin in the Music City Bowl, losing in blowout fashion to Maryland to finish the year.

Hugh Freeze’s Tigers have a new-look heading into 2024, as the receiving core and secondary have undergone a new complete overhaul. While familiar faces still exist at the quarterback, running back, and linebacker positions, much of Auburn’s roster is going to look different this season.

Even with all the roster movement, Auburn comes into the opener as a near 7 touchdown favorite according to BetMGM.

ESPN’s FPI doesn’t like the Bulldogs chances of pulling off an early-season miracle either, as the Football Power Index gives Auburn a 99% chance to claim victory on Saturday.

Will a deeper dive into the tale of the tape show Alabama A&M has a higher chance of shocking the college football world than the experts believe? As we did last season, we’ll start by looking at the quarterbacks.

Auburn senior signal-caller enters his second season on the Plains after a turbulent first year in the Hugh Freeze offense. After starting off the season poorly, [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] had a superb stretch of play in early November against Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, and Arkansas, totaling 753 all-purpose yards and 9 touchdowns over that span. Unfortunately the 22-year-old struggled against New Mexico State, Alabama, and Maryland to end his season, once against casting doubt over his status heading into 2024.

In total, the junior finished 2023 with 1,755 passing yards, 16 passing touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He added 515 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground as well. Head coach Hugh Freeze has displayed confidence in his “QB1” throughout spring and summer camp, and Thorne will once again have the keys to the Tigers offense.

On the other side, Alabama A&M quarterback [autotag]Cornelious Brown IV[/autotag] enters his sixth season of college football on his third team. Still with two years of eligibility remaining, the junior has struggled to stay on the field throughout his career, as he’s only attempted more than 30 passes twice in five years. While Brown IV has plenty of experience, including games against Vanderbilt and UNC, the clear edge in the quarterback matchup goes to Auburn’s Payton Thorne.

The Tigers have an even clearer edge in the skill position battle. Alabama A&M’s best player on the offensive side of the ball is easily running back Donovan Eaglin. In an interesting twist that has become more common by the season in the NIL and transfer portal era, the running back started his career with Payton Thorne at Michigan State before transferring to Alabama A&M in 2022. Since then, the 5-foot-11 bruiser has averaged a clean 5.3 yards-per-carry on his way to 1,568 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns.

Unfortunately for Eaglin, Auburn’s Jarquez Hunter is the much better back. Auburn’s longest-tenured offensive starter, Hunter rushed for 909 yards and 7 scores a season ago to vault his all-time rushing total to 2,170 yards. He enters 2024 just over 500 yards short the top 10 all time rushing leaders in Auburn history. While it would take a magnificent campaign for Hunter to pass Ben Tate’s top 5 mark of 3,321 yards, a solid season from the senior could vault him past Tre Mason (2,979) for the No. 6 spot on the list.

The largest skill-gap may be on the pass catching side of things. Auburn offers one of the better receiving quartets in the SEC, with transfer receivers [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] (673 yards, 2023) and [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag] (877 yards, 2023) joining five-star freshman [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] and 2023 receiving leader [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] (394 yards, 2023) as weapons for Payton Thorne.

In another unusual but increasingly common storyline, Lewis, who transferred from Georgia State this offseason, spent some time catching passes from Alabama A&M starting quarterback Cornelious Brown IV during their time as Panthers in 2021.

As for Brown IV’s weapons, Alabama A&M’s receiving core was mostly gutted by graduation and the transfer portal. The only returning players to accumulate over 100 yards a season ago are senior Jacolby Hewitt (516 yards, 2023) and junior Keenan Hambrick (386 yards, 2023).

Auburn has the clear edge on every aspect of the offensive side of the ball, including the offensive line which is simply bigger and more physically imposing than their SWAC counterparts.

The defensive side of things is much of the same. The Bulldogs do offer a pair of studs in the secondary in Emari Pait and Kaleb Dawson, but the Tigers duo of [autotag]Keionte Scott[/autotag] and [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag] still gets the edge due to their experience against more talented receivers.

The most glaring mismatch may be in the front seven, where Auburn holds one of the best linebacker duos in the country in [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag]. That duo, along with Tigers de-facto defensive line captain Keldric Faulk, combined for 11.5 sacks a season ago, which is more than half (20) of the sacks created by the entire Alabama A&M defense in 2023.

Throughout all the positional groupings, Auburn is simply better and more dominant on both sides of the ball. That’s not to say an upset can’t happen, but it’s just extremely unlikely.

Going into a game as 7 touchdown favorites may seem hefty, but the tale of the tape says the spread is just about on the mark. We’ll see if Alabama A&M can prove the doubters, and the tape, wrong when the two in-state opponents face off on Saturday at 6:30 PM CST.

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Where does Auburn land in this week’s USA TODAY Sports SEC Power Poll?

Will the Tigers have the chance to improve their stock with a win over Alabama A&M?

As SEC football gets underway this weekend, the Auburn Tigers look to make a strong impression among its fanbase and college football experts with a great showing at home against Alabama A&M.

Auburn football is on a quest to win more than six games for the first time this decade and has the talent on its roster to make that dream turn into reality. However, many experts are not ready to give Auburn “SEC Championship contender” status this season until they have a few games under their belt, including Chase Goodbread of the Tuscaloosa News. Goodbread released his debut SEC Power Poll ahead of the 2024 season and has given Auburn the No. 12 slot.

His early assessment of the Tigers is spot on, as he declares that Auburn fans will “demand more explosiveness from Hugh Freeze’s offense this year.” Freeze has done wonders this offseason by nearly gutting last season’s wide receiver room and rebuilding the unit with solid transfers including former Georgia State star [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag] and Penn State transfer [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag]. Freshmen [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] and [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag] are expected to contribute heavily this season alongside the Tigers’ leading receiver from a year ago, [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag].

If the Tigers do not improve upon last season’s output, which ranked last among SEC teams at 162.23 yards per game, Auburn fans will become understandably frustrated. However, Freeze’s track record proves he will continue building Auburn into an offense powerhouse in 2024. Goodbread leaves the door open for Auburn to climb in the rankings in upcoming weeks if the Tigers can provide enough offensive firepower.

Georgia, Texas, Alabama, Ole Miss, and Tennessee make up the top five while Kentucky and Texas A&M are ahead of Auburn for a top-10 placement.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Asante, Hunter headline Auburn’s Senior Bowl watchlist representation

Auburn football is well represented on this season’s watchlist.

The coveted Senior Bowl watchlist has been released, and Auburn is well represented.

A total of 14 players on Auburn’s roster made the cut, with linebacker [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag] and running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] headlining the representation.

Asante broke onto the scene last season by recording a team-leading 86 tackles with 8.5 going for a loss. He also tipped a pass and returned a fumble 67 yards for a touchdown in Auburn’s loss to Texas A&M. As for Hunter, he came close to reaching the 1,000-yard mark in rushing for the first time in his career last season. He ran for 909 yards and scored seven touchdowns while reeling in 18 passes for 118 yards.

Joining Hunter as offensive players to make the list are QB [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag], WRs [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag], and offensive linemen [autotag]Percy Lewis[/autotag] and [autotag]Dillon Wade[/autotag].

Thorne is projected to take a step forward this season thanks to the additions of Lambert-Smith and Lewis, who were stars at Penn State and Georgia State respectively. Fairweather will be a great threat in the passing game as he returns after hauling in 38 catches for 394 yards and six scores last season. Finally, Lewis joins an experienced offensive line after spending the previous two seasons at Mississippi State. Wade’s 819 snaps were the most among Auburn offensive players last season. In that frame, he allowed just two quarterback sacks.

Six defensive players were also labeled. Outside of Asante, DLs [autotag]Jayson Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag], LB [autotag]Austin Keys[/autotag], and defensive backs [autotag]Keionte Scott[/autotag] and [autotag]Jerrin Thompson[/autotag] are also considered for a roster spot.

McLeod holds the highest grade among returning defenders from PFF with an 80.8, which was third-highest behind [autotag]DJ James[/autotag] and [autotag]Marcus Harris[/autotag], who has since departed for the NFL. Scott had a great season by leading all defensive backs in tackles with 42 with five pass deflections in 2023. He will team up with Thompson, who hauled in three interceptions at Texas last season, to provide experience to the Tigers’ defensive backfield. In two seasons at Auburn, Jones has complied 48 tackles with one registering as a loss.

The final representative on the Senior Bowl watchlist for Auburn is punter [autotag]Oscar Chapman[/autotag]. Chapman recorded 61 punts last season for a career-high average of 44.6 yards.

The 2025 Senior Bowl will take place on Saturday, Feb. 1 at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile. The game will begin at 1:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcasted live on NFL Network.

Payton Thorne included on Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watchlist

Thorne is one of 11 SEC quarterbacks included on this year’s watchlist.

Watchlist season continues to be kind to Auburn, as another offensive playmaker has earned preseason recognition.

The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award released its preseason watchlist this week and has included Auburn quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] on its radar. Thorne is one of 63 quarterbacks across all ten FBS conferences to earn a place on the coveted list and is one of 11 quarterbacks from the SEC to grab the honor.

Thorne passed for just over 1,700 yards last season, but the hype surrounding his supporting cast has caused his stock to rise. This season, Thorne’s top target from last season, [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag], returns to the receiving corps while true freshman [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] and [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag], as well as experienced newcomers [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag] and [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag], join the unit in hopes of boosting the Tigers’ pass catching numbers.

The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is given annually to the nation’s top quarterback who shows great character, citizenship, scholastic achievement, and leadership qualities. The winning candidate will receive the award on Dec. 6 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland.

OC Derrick Nix wants more ‘explosive plays’ from Auburn offense

Nix says that explosive plays are required in order to score at a high rate.

The Ole Miss Rebels did not become one of college football’s top offenses by playing with a slow tempo.

New offensive coordinator [autotag]Derrick Nix[/autotag], who spent the previous 16 seasons with the Rebels, has been coached several high-octane offenses and looks to produce the same product at Auburn. Not only is he coaching his offense to make plays, he is working to engrave an explosive mindset into the players in hopes of setting a standard.

“Being a fundamentally efficient scoring machine, it requires us to make explosive plays,” Nix said during a recent media availability. “It becomes a standard, and expectation.”

Being an explosive offense runs deeper than solid quarterback and receiver play. Nix says that each position needs to work together in order to build consistency.

“We just try to challenge our guys to expect it. If our offensive line can protect (and) the quarterback makes the right read against the right coverage, you should make the play and it should be explosive,” Nix said. “We should be able to count on that, week in and week out. That is something that we talk about and something that’s expected and needed for this offense to thrive.”

Auburn added plenty of talented wide receivers to its roster over the offseason including Penn State transfer [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and true freshman [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag]. [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag], [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag], and [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag] return to head the running back position and [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] is back as the team’s starting quarterback.

This season, up is the only way Auburn can move as they finished No. 14 in passing offense last season among SEC teams. Those skill players as well as a more experienced offensive line should produce the “explosive plays” that Nix hopes to gain this season.

Is Jarquez Hunter Auburn’s offensive MVP?

ESPN’s Bill Connelly explains why Auburn’s offense will thrive as long as Hunter is heavily involved.

Auburn’s offense was less than spectacular last season as it finished No. 11 in the SEC with an average of 351 yards per game. Scoring-wise, the Tigers also finished No. 11 in the conference by scoring 26.1 points per contest.

The only consistent aspect of Auburn’s offense was running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag], who ended the season with 909 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Despite Auburn’s additions to its receiver room, Auburn’s success will still depend heavily on Hunter.

ESPN’s Bill Connelly revealed that Hunter is his favorite Auburn player in his SEC preview, and explained just how valuable Hunter was to the Tigers’ offense in 2023.

When Hunter got rolling, Auburn had a chance. Not counting games against UMass and Samford, when Hunter averaged at least 6.0 yards per carry, the Tigers averaged 30.2 points per game and went 3-2; when he didn’t, they averaged 14.2 PPG and went 1-5. He averaged 3.6 yards per carry after contact and ground out 6.4 yards per carry between the tackles. Just imagine what he could have done if Auburn could throw even a little.

Connelly also expects Auburn’s passing game to be upgraded this season due to transfers [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag], as well as incoming freshmen [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] and [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag]. Auburn will look to improve upon its No. 102 ranked passing success rate in 2024 with an improved offensive line and revamped targets for quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] to pass to.

ESPN’s Greg McElroy expects Auburn to be a ‘problem’ this season

Auburn has upgraded several position groups over the offseason, which could lead the Tigers to several key wins in 2024.

Auburn football ended last season with a 6-7 record. While the season did not end as fans and players alike would have hoped, the Tigers were a few plays away from having a completely different season.

Auburn dropped three home games to Ole Miss, Georgia, and Alabama by a combined 17 points. In two of those games, Georgia and Alabama scored their game-clinching touchdowns with less that three minutes remaining.

Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] evaluated his options once the season concluded, and elected to revamp several position groups including wide receiver and safety. Because of the new talent, one ESPN analyst expects the Tigers to give opponents fits this season.

During this week’s SEC Media Days in Dallas, Texas, ESPN’s Greg McElroy discussed Auburn during a segment on College Football Live. The former Alabama quarterback says that Auburn was close to winning several games last season, and could be a “problem” for opponents in 2024 due to their roster upgrades.

“They’ve now gone out, they’ve added really good pieces at wide receiver. And Payton Thorne, I expect to take a step because it’s just hard to play quarterback by yourself. Jarquez Hunter, I think’s one of the best backs in the league. No one talks about him. So I think they’re gonna be able to run the football, take some of the pressure off the passing game. And I think they finally have the weapons on the perimeter that can win 1-on-1 matchups. So I’m really, actually, pretty optimistic about where Hugh Freeze [has] the Auburn Tigers going into this season.”

McElroy does say that Auburn could run into trouble by facing College Football Playoff contenders Alabama and Georgia on the road, but a favorable schedule and new talent could push Auburn in a positive direction this season.

Auburn welcomes [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag], leading receivers at Penn State and Georgia State respectively, to its receiving corps. Texas transfer [autotag]Jerrin Thompson[/autotag] is set to be the team’s No. 1 safety following the departure of [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] to the NFL. Auburn will be filled with experience this season, and will need to mesh well together in order to enjoy a successful season.

Hugh Freeze breaks down Auburn’s most notable position battles ahead of season

Rotations will be key for the Tigers this season, and Freeze wants the best players possible to be involved.

Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers took the stage at SEC Media Days Thursday and one of the many topics up for discussion was position battles within the program.

The most notable battle, at least in the eyes of those outside of the program, is at wide receiver. The Tigers have a revamped wide receiver room which will feature three transfers, four true freshmen, and two returners. However, the most contested battle is on the other side of the line.

Freeze told reporters Thursday that the defensive line will feature a steady rotation this season.

“The most contested, we have six guys on defensive line you might say it’s contested, but I think we need to rotate all six of them,” Freeze said.

Auburn’s defensive line will be experienced as [autotag]Jayson Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag] returning with the additions of [autotag]Trill Carter[/autotag], [autotag]Philip Blidi[/autotag], [autotag]Isaiah Raikes[/autotag], and [autotag]Gage Keys[/autotag] joining the program from the transfer portal. Experience will not be an issue, but it will be up to Freeze and defensive line coach [autotag]Vontrell King-Williams[/autotag] to find the perfect combination to give the Tigers the best chance to succeed.

Another position group of concern is at safety, which was ravaged by the NFL draft. [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] is out, meaning Auburn will need to look to transfers and new faces to fill the role.

“I’d probably say safety. You are going to have Keionte (Scott) and Kayin (Lee) getting the bulk of reps at corner, but we really need (Antonio) Kite and (Jaylin) Crawford, Amon Lane (Ganus), some of these younger guys to get ready to play there,” Freeze said. “(Jerrin) Thompson is the vocal leader there, but we need other pieces to give us depth there.”

Freeze went on to mention that [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] will get the nod at quarterback and that the rotation of running backs will feature [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag], [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag], and [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag]. At receiver, Freeze calls for six receivers to step into the rotation. Freshmen [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] and [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag], as well as transfers [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag], look to be prime candidates to earn steady playing time at the position.

Will Payton Thorne reach ‘2021’ confidence this season?

Thorne passed for over 3,000 yards in 2021 thanks to a great supporting cast. Can he replicate those numbers this season?

[autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag]’s college career has seen its share of highs and lows, which has led to heavy criticism.

However, he has shown signs of being a solid quarterback against power competition. In 2021, he led Michigan State to an 11-win campaign by passing for 3,223 yards and 27 touchdowns. He was able to obtain those high numbers thanks to a great supporting cast that included wide receivers Jayden Reed and Jalen Nailor.

This offseason, Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] revamped Auburn’s wide receiver unit by adding two experienced pieces from the transfer portal in [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag] to go along with the Tigers’ record-setting 2024 high school receiver class led by [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag].

Will Thorne be able to replicate, or even exceed, his 2021 stats thanks to these new additions? The Athletic’s Kennington Smith III believes in the possibility.

Smith evaluated each SEC team ahead of the 2024 season, and compared 2024 Auburn to 2021 Michigan State. Smith says that Auburn’s revamped offense that includes the newcomers at receiver as well as returning stars [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] and [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] to the Spartans’ 2021 squad that featured running back Kenneth Walker and tight end Connor Heyward in addition to Thorne’s top receivers.

If that comparison rings true, Smith expects Thorne’s play to be “elevated.” It also helps Thorne’s case that Freeze has consistently shown confidence in Thorne’s ability to lead the Tigers’ offense.

Freeze’s confidence in Thorne is apparent as Auburn didn’t bring in any transfers at quarterback. And Freeze has adapted, bringing in Derrick Nix as the offensive coordinator, an indication that Freeze will be more involved as a play caller. Will Auburn make a second-year leap under Freeze? It relies on Thorne, and Auburn has done what it can to make sure it happens.

Thorne passed for a disappointing 1,755 yards and 16 scores last season with 10 interceptions. Freeze has added many talented pieces to the offense and has brought in a coordinator that he is familiar with in an effort to boost Thorne’s 2024 output. Auburn’s 2024 success on offense relies heavily on Thorne’s ability, and we will see early on if he will be able to lead the Tigers to significant victories in his final season.