Auburn Tigers QB Payton Thorne Sets Lofty Goal for 2024

In his final season, Auburn’s starting quarterback Payton Thorne is looking to have the best one of his college career.

Auburn Tigers quarterback Payton Thorne / Austin Perryman, Auburn University Athletics

The 2024 season is days away, and the Auburn Tigers are ready to kick things off.

Expectations for the Tigers are high going into year two under head coach Hugh Freeze, and they will be aiming to put a considerably better product on the field than they managed last season.

Payton Thorne is back for his second year with Auburn and will be looking to build on the less than stellar campaign he had a year ago.

“We don’t talk about last year much anymore, it’s in the past,” Thorne said. “That’s done and over but compared to years prior, I've felt this excitement before. You feel the energy in the building, you feel the confidence the guys have right now and that our coaches have. It’s encouraging, very encouraging, you’re excited to get out there.”

Thorne talked about how Auburn’s new defensive coordinator DJ Durkin helped the offense prepare for the season by putting a high-level defense on the field.

“It helps a lot, honestly,” Thorne said. “Different looks in the back end for our receivers and different looks up front for sure for our offensive line. It’s good to practice those things throughout the year and throughout camp. It’s been a good experience for those guys, especially young guys to kind of be thrown in the fire and learn along the way.

“It’s been fun competing against our defense, but I’m glad that we’re done and we can all be on the same team again.”

Derrick Nix, the Tigers’ new offensive coordinator, has set a goal for the offense to score 40 points per game this season. Thorne talked about how he believes that is a reachable mark.

“I definitely think it’s feasible,” Thorne said. “You look across the last 10 years or so there’s been plenty of offenses that have averaged over 40 points a game. That’s Coach Nix’s goal, that’s what he’s put in front of us and that is going to be our goal every week. It’s our job to get there. It’s our job to prepare every week, throughout the week, to put ourselves in a position to get there.”

Five teams broke the 40-point mark last year, LSU, Oregon, USC, Oklahoma, and Georgia. The first-three had quarterbacks picked in the first round of the NFL Draft in April, and Georgia has a quarterback No. 1 overall in ESPN's most recent mock draft.

Lofty goals indeed.

A popular talking point surrounding Auburn throughout fall camp is the improved culture surrounding the team. Thorne talked about the improvement that he has seen in that area.

“I think we spent a lot more time with each other over the past, however many months it’s been,” Thorne said. “You get more like-minded guys together. Last year you had a hodgepodge of guys from old staff, new staff and transfers.”

This season is an important one, not only for Thorne, but for the Tigers as a whole. Thorne appears ready for the task of leading Auburn’s offense once again.