Robby Ashford – Page 9 – Syndication Server

Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker shares thoughts on Payton Thorne’s transfer to Auburn

How did Tucker take the news of Thorne’s transfer to Auburn?

Auburn football landed its most notable transfer in May when former Michigan State quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] signed with Auburn.

Thorne’s presence completes an offensive overhaul by [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]. The Tigers are expected to have a new receiver rotation, offensive line and quarterback in 2023.

Thorne has plenty of experience. He arrives at Auburn with two full seasons of experience. After losing an experienced quarterback to the transfer portal, how will Michigan State rebound?

Spartans head coach Mel Tucker recently spoke to the media during a recruiting camp at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. During his availability, the topic of Thorne’s transfer was discussed. Tucker said he believes his team will rebound following the loss of Thorne, but has nothing but great things to say about him.

“I just wish Payton the very best of luck,” Tucker said. “He’s a really good player, a better person, got a great family. We wish him well.”

Tucker also shared his thoughts on the transfer portal as a whole. Of course, there are plenty of reasons for a college athlete to transfer to another school, could one reason be the idea of “greener pastures?” Tucker says yes.

“We’ve seen it right? We’ve gotten guys out of the portal, and it’s really common. So, I don’t think it’s anything that anyone should be surprised about,” Tucker said.

Thorne is on campus and is set to compete with incumbent [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] for the starting quarterback job this summer. Thorne has passed for 6,493 yards and 49 touchdowns in three seasons at Michigan State and brings two full seasons of starting experience to Auburn. His best season came in 2021 when he threw for 27 touchdowns and 3,232 yards while leading Michigan State to an 11-2 record and a Peach Bowl victory.

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

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Where Auburn’s QB situation ranks among the rest of the FBS

Does Auburn have a more favorable quarterback outlook opposed to years past? ESPN’s David Hale breaks it down.

Auburn football entered the spring with a dubious quarterback situation, as the Tigers would enter the 2023 season with the same candidates from the 2022 season in [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag], [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag], and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag].

It got more interesting in April as Finley departed the program for Texas State, and [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] joined the program after spending three seasons at Michigan State.

Does Auburn’s revamped situation bring a sense of confidence to the program? ESPN’s David Hale seems to think so.

Hale recently placed all 133 FBS teams’ quarterback situations into tiers, and Auburn has landed in tier seven, which is titled A fresh start offers cause for optimism. The tier centers around programs that feature transfer quarterbacks such as Georgia Tech, Houston, Louisville, Illinois, and Purdue. Those programs bring in talented quarterbacks who have experience from previous schools.

One anonymous defensive coach from the Big Ten says that Thorne will be a game-changer for Auburn.

“It’s a whole different offense, and I don’t know what they have around him for what they’re going to be doing, but I think he’s going to check a lot of boxes for what you’d want of a transfer in Year 1 at a program.”

As for Michigan State, they check in at tier 11, which is named “incomplete grades.” Concerning the Spartans’ situation, another anonymous coach predicts that Mel Tucker will regret letting Thorne walk away from the program.

“I have a hard time believing Michigan State wanted to see him go. How do you want to start all over in a critical year with a brand-new quarterback (Noah Kim) that has no game experience?”

Thorne brings three seasons of experience with him to Auburn and has passed for 6,493 yards and 49 touchdowns. With one true season as a quarterback at the FBS level, Ashford threw for 1,613 yards and seven touchdowns during the 2022 season for Auburn. The competition will be interesting to see unfold over the next several months.

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Payton Thorne wasted no time arriving on campus

The former Michigan State product is already on Auburn’s campus to prepare for the 2023 season.

Former Michigan State Spartans quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] did not waste any time getting to the Plains after announcing his decision to transfer to Auburn. Head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] confirmed this week that Thorne is already on campus.

In an article from the Opelika-Auburn News written by Adam Cole, Freeze speaks on Thorne’s arrival.

“Man, he didn’t wait,” Freeze said of Thorne. “He’s already in there watching film on his own and learning stuff. He’s anxious to get with the team and start working out.”

The article also included a quote from Freeze on what Thorne brings to the table for the Auburn offense.

“I know that everybody — we talk more about his stats or whatever — but I think that this football team at Auburn right now has missed some leadership, particularly on the offensive side,” Freeze said. “To get that in that room, I think only elevates everybody. The more good leaders you put around them, the more you get them to model that. I feel like he’s a mature leader that knows how to prepare.”

Thorne went 242-387 for 2,679 yards and 19 touchdowns last season.

The article also included a quote from Freeze on how [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag], the quarterback who started for Auburn most of last season, has handled the addition of Thorne.

“Robby’s handling things extremely well,” Freeze said. “I’m proud of him for that. Every team at this level is going to have competition at every position if you want to be good. You’re going to have four quarterbacks; we’re not the only ones. Everybody’s going to have them, and we’ve got to go compete and figure out what’s best for our football team. I think it’s vital that all of our quarterbacks are doing a lot this summer to prepare.”

The quarterback battle will be a point of focus for the Tigers throughout the summer. Redshirt freshman [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] will also be competing with Thorne and Ashford.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Daniel on Twitter @DanielJLocke

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Mike Farrell shares debatable take on Payton Thorne

Will Payton Thorne thrive at Auburn? Here’s what “the godfather of college football recruiting” has to say.

On paper, the addition of [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] from the transfer portal is a great move for Auburn as he adds three seasons of starting experience to Auburn’s rap sheet.

In three seasons at Michigan State, he threw for 6,493 yards and 49 touchdowns. When comparing Thorne’s production to that of [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag], Thorne is by far the veteran of the room.

Does he give Auburn the best chance to turn the program this season? One college football writer is not sold on the idea.

In a recent installment of his Fact or Fiction series, college football analyst Mike Farrell says that Thorne will struggle on the Plains.

He’s a nice stop-gap pickup for Hugh Freeze and all, but he’s thrown double-digit interceptions each of the last two years and struggled to thrive in the Big Ten, which isn’t as loaded as the SEC when it comes to pass rushers and corners. Thorne will struggle, and so will Auburn. And that’s to be expended as Freeze tries to turn things around from the Bryan Harsin debacle.

Outside of this take, Farrell has been otherwise positive when discussing the trajectory of Auburn following the hire of [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]. Farell suggested that Freeze would be the best fit for the job in November, and has called Auburn’s transfer haul “the best in the SEC.”

Time will tell, but maybe Thorne can get off to a great start in 2023 and prove that he does belong in the SEC by season’s end.

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USA TODAY Sports’ Blake Toppmeyer grades SEC quarterback transfers

Thorne is no doubt an upgrade to Auburn’s QB room, but how does he stack up against fellow signal callers who have transferred within the SEC?

Athletes who remain in the transfer portal still have time to choose their next destination, but there are several talented prospects who have already found their new home.

Now that the calendar has turned to May, USA TODAY Sports columnist Blake Toppmeyer has given a grade to each quarterback who has transferred into the SEC this season, including new Auburn signal caller [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag].

Thorne joined Auburn’s roster back on May 5 and is poised to compete with incumbent starter [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] for the QB1 spot this fall for Hugh Freeze’s new-look offense.

Toppmeyer lists Thorne as the second-best quarterback transfer to enter the SEC this season and gives the former Michigan State Spartan a C+ grade.

Hugh Freeze seized a quarterback with two years of starting experience during the spring transfer window. That’s good news after Auburn whiffed on adding a transfer quarterback in the winter. The downside is Thorne threw 21 interceptions the past two seasons. Assemble talent around Thorne, and he looks good. See 2021, when Michigan State went 11-2. Put too much on his shoulders, and he’ll struggle. See ’22, when Sparty regressed to 5-7. Thorne upgrades AU’s quarterback situation as compared to the Bryan Harsin era.

Who are the other quarterbacks on the list? Here’s a look at what grades each transfer quarterback within the SEC has received from Toppmeyer.

Payton Thorne’s commitment to Auburn was an ‘easy decision’

The former Michigan State product needed just one visit to Auburn to make his transfer decision.

The news of former Michigan State Spartans quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] announcing his decision to play for [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the Auburn Tigers is only a few weeks old, but everyone from the fans of the program to Freeze and Thorne himself seems to be excited about the pairing.

Thorne joined a recent episode of the MAX Roundtable hosted by Doug Amos who asked the former Spartan what drew him to Auburn.

You know when I was down for my visit, I was there for a day,” Thorne said. “Just an unofficial visit, but you know it was a great time. I obviously got to meet Coach Freeze and Coach Montgomery and listen to them talk football and watching what they do on offense, along with many other things, getting to see the facilities getting to see the town. Then just everything that I’ve heard about Auburn and Auburn football has been nothing but great things. I was very excited when I was down there with my dad; we talked for a while about it, and Coach Freeze made it an easy decision for me.”

Thorne was a three-star recruit coming out of Matea Valley High School in the class of 2019. The Naperville, Illinois native was the No. 18 ranked dual-threat quarterback and the No. 16 ranked player in the state of Illinois according to 247Sports.

Thorne played four seasons for Michigan State, starting two of them. In 2022 Thorne went 242-387 for 2,679 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Thorne is the front-runner for the starting quarterback position for the Tigers in 2023, expected to beat out [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag].

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Daniel on Twitter @DanielJLocke

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Former Auburn quarterback T.J. Finley to join Texas State

Finley heads to San Marcos with three seasons of eligibility remaining.

Former Auburn Tigers quarterback [autotag]T.J. Finley [/autotag] will be heading out west to play for the Texas State Bobcats.

This will be the third program Finley has played for. Finley was a member of the LSU Tigers in 2020, Auburn in 2021 and 2022, and now Texas State.

Finley first entered the portal during the 2022 season but ended up withdrawing his name. This was likely to see what his options were under [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the new staff. Finley entered the portal again on May 2nd, just three days before former Michigan State Spartans quarterback Payton Thorne announced that he would be transferring to Auburn.

After being named the starting quarterback before the season, Finley only appeared in four games for Auburn in 2022. He went 33-53 for 431 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions.

Finley took over the starting quarterback role in 2021 after [autotag]Bo Nix[/autotag] went down with an injury in week 10. Finley went 51-91 for 600 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception throughout the 2021 season.

The Auburn quarterback battle is now between Thorne, [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag], and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag].

pic.twitter.com/ymidHxyfLy

— TJ Finley 1️⃣ (@tj_finley1) May 12, 2023

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Daniel on Twitter @DanielJLocke

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Where does Payton Thorne rank among SEC quarterbacks?

Auburn’s addition of Payton Thorne from the transfer portal helps immensely, but by how much? College Sports Wire’s Patrick Conn breaks it down.

This upcoming college football season will be a reloading year for SEC quarterbacks.

Several of the top quarterbacks within the conference such as Alabama’s Bryce Young, Georgia’s Stetson Bennett, and Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker are now members of NFL franchises and have paved the way for new players to make their marks.

Despite the departure of the aforementioned household names, there will be a strong mix of returning talent and transfers, all looking to make a name for themselves.

Auburn is included in the mix, as Michigan State transfer [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] has joined the conversation for the quarterback competition with [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag].

Following spring practice, as well as the closing of the spring transfer portal window, Patrick Conn of College Sports Wire broke down each SEC team’s projected started quarterback and ranked them according to projected production. With Thorne being the projected starter for Auburn, he makes Conn’s list at No. 10 within the SEC.

How can Thorne climb the ladder of the SEC quarterback rankings? Conn says that he needs to get back to his 2021 form.

It was a down year for Payton Thorne in East Lansing last season after putting up over 3,000 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2021. Thorne was a late addition to the transfer portal and chose to join Hugh Freeze on the Plains. He is the likely starter for Auburn, who has been looking for a quarterback in the transfer portal this offseason. If Thorne returns to his 2021 form, Auburn should be a lot more dangerous on offense.

After passing for 3,240 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2021, a season in which Thorne led Michigan State to a Peach Bowl win, he threw for just 2,679 yards and 19 scores in 2022.

Here is a complete look at College Sports Wire’s Spring QB rankings:

KJ Jefferson, Arkansas
Will Rogers, Mississippi State
Jayden Daniels, LSU
Devin Leary, Kentucky
Spencer Rattler, South Carolina
Joe Milton, Tennessee
Spencer Sanders, Ole Miss
Connor Weigman, Texas A&M
Graham Mertz, Florida
Payton Thorne, Auburn
Tyler Buchner, Alabama
Carson Beck, Georgia
AJ Swann, Vanderbilt
Brady Cook, Missouri

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Top ten: The best games of Payton Thorne’s career at Michigan State

Thorne had several memorable performances during his time at Michigan State. Here’s a look back at his best work.

There has been a heavy buzz on the Plains surrounding the recent additions to the football program from the transfer portal.

Auburn has added an experienced offensive lineman in [autotag]Jaden Muskrat[/autotag], as well as a solid upgrade to the Jack position with [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag]. The wide receiver room has also received a bump with the transfer of [autotag]Caleb Burton[/autotag], a highly-touted high school prospect from the state of Texas. But the transfer that has made the most noise is the addition of former Michigan State quarterback, [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag].

Thorne was a staple of the 2021 Spartan squad that finished 11-2 and won the Chick Fil A Peach Bowl over Pittsburgh. During that season, he passed for 3,240 yards and 21 touchdowns. Thorne’s presence will definitely ramp up the quarterback battle with incumbent [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] heading into the fall.

Patrick Conn of College Sports Wire recently ranked each SEC quarterback following spring practice exercises and says that if Thorne can return to his 2021 form, that Auburn “should be a lot more dangerous on offense.”

Following the announcement of Thorne’s transfer to Auburn, we at Auburn Wire decided to do a breakdown of his ten best performances during his three-season career at Michigan State based on his final grade from Pro Football Focus.

From his coming out party at Penn State to his amazing performance at Rutgers, here’s a look at Payton Thorne’s best performances during his time at Michigan State.

Twitter reacts to Payton Thorne’s commitment to Auburn

Auburn Twitter is excited about the new addition to the QB room.

Auburn fans have patiently awaited the news for months regarding the addition of a quarterback from the transfer portal.

On Friday, they got their wish as former Michigan State quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] announced that he would be furthering his collegiate career at Auburn, where he will compete with [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] for the starting quarterback job in 2023.

Head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] welcomed several options for visits between the winter and spring windows of the portal but mentioned that he was being selective when it came to finding the right fit.

“Truthfully, I haven’t seen one yet that’s just, ‘Bam, that’s the no-brainer, and he’s ahead of the ones we have,’” Freeze said during a recent speaking engagement. “Every time a quarterback goes in the portal, (I say) ‘There he is! There he is!’ Then I watch the film, and I’m like, ‘No, that’s really not the one I’m looking for.’”

That all changed last weekend when Nebraska QB [autotag]Casey Thompson[/autotag] entered the transfer portal and paid a visit. However, the smoke concerning Thorne began to grow before he ultimately committed to the Tigers.

Following Thorne’s commitment, several Auburn fans took to Twitter to share their excitement for the newest member of the 2023 roster. Even Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State fans chimed in as well.

Here are the best social media reactions to Thorne’s commitment to Auburn.