One Change Auburn Must Make in Final-Three Games

The Auburn Tigers are 3-6 with a quarterback who has three games of eligibility remaining. It's past time to make a move.

The Auburn Tigers need to see more of Hank Brown handing off to Jarquez Hunter the final-three games of the season. / John Reed-Imagn Images

Auburn sits at home on its bye week, planning for the last part of the season. Things fell apart early for the season. The Tigers find themselves with a 3-6 record, with a sliver of hope for bowl eligibility. In all honesty, 2024 rates as one of the most disappointing seasons in recent school memory. 

After falling apart at least five times to lose games, The Plains never felt like a lonelier place for fans. As mentioned, three games remain and what the offense needs to do, in order to close the season on a better note.

Drop Thorne to Third

Payton Thorne eclipsed 10,000 career passing yards, a measuring stick number in NCAA football lore. Without hyperbole, nothing remains for Thorne to accomplish at Auburn. Step aside and let the young passers handle the snaps. 

With that said, Auburn needs to see more of Hank Brown. Brown, he of the three first-half interceptions, cannot find his way back to the field. More importantly, dropping Thorne to third, opens an avenue for Walker White to possibly see the field. 

Make no mistake, neither White nor Brown should start at quarterback for Auburn next year. The key remains to see if either one can serve as a quality backup, in case next year's starter, who is not on the roster, falls to injury. Sitting third on the depth chart doesn't hurt the team in the slightest.

Auburn likely won't pull the redshirt off of White at this point, but is there a single-legitimate argument for starting Thorne at any point the rest of the season?

Forget What Happened

The Tigers probably won't make a bowl game. The seniors that will graduate focused on their future. The school will not fire Hugh Freeze. His incoming recruiting classes look phenomenal. For the remaining players, they possess a fair number of choices. 

With the transfer portal an actual possibility, figure out if Auburn, Ala. will serve as your 2025 home. The team and coaches cannot change the previous nine games. Offensively, play with a far quicker pace. Rip a page from Chip Kelly, playing at a rapid rate to tire defenses. 

Abandon whatever game plans used for the majority of the season. Change things so drastically that the last three opponents struggle to catch up.

Bottom Line

The Auburn Tigers should own a far better record. Based on their inability to close games, that 3-6 looks rather appropriate. The offense can move the ball on anyone. Now, they have 180-minutes remaining in the season.

Why not stress defenses and throw something at them that they don't know what to expect. At the end of this month, the future begins. Why not kick things into gear a little earlier and energize the fanbase while doing so?

Most importantly, beating a vulnerable Alabama team would serve as a positive start to 2025.