Auburn QB Payton Thorne Growing More Comfortable in Tigers Offense

Auburn Tigers QB Coach Kent Austin, and TE Rivaldo Fairweather, continue to bang the drum for cerebral qualities in starting quarterback Payton Thorne.

Auburn Tigers quarterbacks coach Kent Austin, quarterback Payton Thorne / Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK

Quarterbacks at any level of football require time. That’s especially the case if they are to really click in an offense.

Unfortunately, Auburn Tigers quarterback Payton Thorne wasn’t afforded much time prior to starting in head coach Hugh Freeze’s scheme last year.

Joining the Tigers program after 2023 spring practices had an adverse impact on Thorne’s performance last season. He had just 16 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions.

But this summer, Tigers quarterbacks coach Kent Austin has been much more enthused about what Thorne can do after a full year in the team’s offense.

"(Thorne) set our protections last year, but we're going to put more on his plate in the overall control of the offense," Austin said, via The Auburn Observer’s Justin Ferguson. "Checking things in the run game, getting us out of a pass concept to a better pass concept. ... Payton will flourish in that environment."

Austin will take an active role in play-calling this coming season - his own particular remit will be dealing with inventing imaginative play-calling for third-down scenarios.

The team’s game planning, though, will aim to improve Thorne’s lackluster RPO performance. Thorne has the football savvy to get better in that area, but his improvisation wasn’t the best last year.

Quarterbacks typically build strong bonds with position coaches. Fundamentally, signal callers come to rely on their quarterback coaches to build confidence. They are also a sounding board during times of adversity.

The developing relationship between Thorne and Austin appears to be empowering the Tigers signal caller to really grow. That takes time, but it’s crucial for success.

Tigers tight end Rivaldo Fairweather is encouraged by what Thorne is showing this summer.

"Payton, he's really comfortable back there," said Fairweather, via AL.com’s Ainslie Lee. "Payton knows everything that's going on, he's more comfortable, he knows the right checks (and) he knows the right reads to make."

It could all be lip service. But, it’s still hard to take Fairweather’s confidence in Thorne as nothing but a good sign.

Even the most cynical Auburn fans, though, will buy in when Thorne returns to the level of play he had with the Michigan State Spartans from 2021-22.

Rebuilding the anemic Tigers passing offense had to start somewhere. It will be up to Thorne to be better to see significant improvement this fall.