Auburn will bench Payton Thorne on Saturday, according to report

Reports have emerged that a quarterback change is imminent on The Plains after last week’s home loss to California.

According to Justin Hokanson of Auburn On3, Hugh Freeze is giving the nod this week to redshirt freshman Hank Brown and putting Payton Thorne on the bench after his four interception performance last week:

Sources: Redshirt freshman Hank Brown is slated to start at QB for Auburn against New Mexico on Saturday. For now, Brown replaces starter and team captain Payton Thorne in the starting lineup.

(FREE) https://t.co/LZ19tuPf5V pic.twitter.com/BDQV4EAUzt

— Justin Hokanson (@_JHokanson) September 13, 2024

Brown came in during Auburn’s bowl game embarrassment against Maryland and showed some promise, going 7 of 9 for 132 yards as Thorne struggled mightily. Despite the way the season ended, Thorne won the job at camp once again and appeared to have taken a step following a 300-yard, 4 touchdown first half performance in week one against Alabama A&M.

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But once the competition rose to FBS level last week, Thorne reverted to the quarterback he was last season with perhaps his worst performance in an Auburn uniform.

Brown was a relatively unknown prospect in the class of 2023, rated by 247 as the No. 34 overall player in the state of Tennessee and the No. 60 quarterback in the nation.

Now, he will get his chance to quarterback the Auburn Tigers with his first-ever start when the team hosts New Mexico tomorrow evening at 6:30 p.m. CST.