Auburn has made a change at the quarterback position. After senior Payton Thorne struggled mightily in week two’s home loss against Cal, head coach Hugh Freeze has opted to start redshirt freshman Hank Brown in week three against New Mexico.
Freeze suggested he was reluctant to make a change at the quarterback position because of Thorne’s continued dominance in practice, but mentioned in Monday’s press conference he would “watch the film and then talk about it” regarding who he would start at quarterback. The Tigers head coach must have seen enough on the film and in practice this week, as he reportedly told both Thorne and Brown about his plan to change starters on Friday morning.
While Brown has played minimally in an Auburn uniform, the Nashville, Tennessee native has been impressive in limited opportunities. The freshman made his collegiate debut in the Music City Bowl against Maryland last season. In front of a hometown crowd, Brown threw for 132 yards while throwing only two incompletions in nine attempts.
The redshirt freshman was equally impressive in the 2024 opener against Alabama A&M when he threw for 2 touchdowns and 96 yards on just five attempts. Brown will head into his first Auburn start with 228 passing yards and two touchdowns under his belt. A former three-star recruit, Brown was the No. 60 quarterback in the 2022 class according to 247sports.
As for Thorne, his time as a starter on the Plains could be all but over. If his is the end for the senior, he’ll finish his Tiger career with 2,242 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and 5 rushing touchdowns in 15 games.
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