Auburn has a new starting quarterback: Payton Thorne is out, Hank Brown is in

After 15 games of frustration for Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne, capped off by a 4-interception game against Cal, Hugh Freeze has finally decided to make a change at the sport's most important position. On Saturday against New Mexico, it will now be redshirt freshman Hank Brown running point for the Tigers.

Brown was a 3-star recruit in Auburn's 2023 class, the first full group Freeze brought to the plains, and he's already seen some game action in his first two years as a Tiger, completing 10 of 14 passes for 228 yards, 2 touchdowns, and no turnovers.

Brown's ceiling is high too, making that sample even more exciting. He's growing into his 6'4" frame, and his strong arm immediately makes Auburn's electric group of weapons an even bigger threat.

There is no doubt that Cam Coleman and Co. are licking their lips heading into Saturday with a new lease on life.

Why the change?

To put it simply, Thorne just wasn't getting the job done. In his 15 games at Auburn, Thorne has put up mediocre numbers with just 2,242 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He adds an element to the Tiger run game, but his deficiency as a passer has severely limited this offense against the SEC gauntlet it faces week in and week out.

The final blow was Saturday's four interceptions in the home loss to Cal. It's the first time an Auburn QB has thrown that many picks since Brandon Cox did so against Georgia in 2007, and Thorne did so against a much less talented team.

Thorne has now quarterbacked Auburn to two of its most embarrassing losses of this millennium, first against New Mexico State a year ago and now the Cal loss.

Freeze was risking a fan base revolt if he trotted out Thorne again on Saturday, and he made the wise choice to make a change. The energy around the program changed instantly upon Friday's news, and suddenly Auburn has all that hype and potential back that it lost last week.

It is now the Hank Brown era on the plains.

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