Will Payton Thorne outperform expectations in 2024?

Auburn's season will come down to Payton Thorne.

Dec 30, 2023; Nashville, TN, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback Payton Thorne (1) throws a pass against the Maryland Terrapins during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports / Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports

We are heading into year two of the Hugh Freeze era at Auburn, and the hope is that this team will improve on the 6-7 record we saw a year ago.

During the 2023 season, the problem for the Auburn Tigers was the offense. The defense was solid, but the offense struggled to put points up on the board. More than anything, offensively, the passing game was an issue. Part of the issue was the lack of receivers this team had, which didn't help, but the other issue was Payton Thorne.

Heading into the 2024 season, Thorne is going to be the starting quarterback for the Auburn Tigers, barring anything crazy, so a lot of this season will be on his shoulders. The good news for Thorne is that Coach Freeze via the transfer portal and high school recruiting upgraded the receiver room to where this unit will be a strength of the team.

This means with an upgraded wide receiver room and Rivaldo Fairweather back at tight end plus one of the best running back rooms in college football, this offense should be solid. It will be solid if Thorne takes a step in the right direction from what we saw a year ago.

Freeze will be more involved in the offense than he was a year ago, and this should also help the Auburn Tigers score more points this season. If Thorne is better than we expect, this Auburn team will overachieve. If he isn't, this team will not have a great season.