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.