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Former Michigan State QB Payton Thorne named Auburn's starter

Thorne was a two-year starter at MSU before transferring to Auburn this spring...

Matthew Lounsberry

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Former Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne, who transferred to Auburn this past spring, has been named the Tigers' starter by head coach Hugh Freeze. The four-year Spartan beat up Auburn's incumbent starting quarterback, Robby Ashford, during fall camp.

Thorne started each of the last two seasons for the Spartans, but was locked in a competition this spring with redshirt junior Noah Kim and redshirt freshman Katin Houser to retain his status as MSU's starter. Two weeks after the Spartans concluded spring practice, Thorne entered the transfer portal and wound up at Auburn roughly a week later.

Kim and Houser continue to battle for Michigan State's open job at starting quarterback, while Spartans' head coach Mel Tucker threw true freshman Sam Leavitt's hat into the ring as well at Big Ten Media Days.

During his first season as Michigan State's starter, Thorne set a program record for passing touchdowns in a single season with 27 in 2021. He also threw for 3,240 passing yards that season, the third-most in a single season in program history. 

After being injured in the Spartans' season-opener against Western Michigan last fall, Thorne mostly struggled through the 2022 season. That led to an open competition for MSU's starting job this spring and, ultimately, resulted in Thorne's transfer to Auburn and the Southeastern Conference.

Thorne's 49 career touchdown passes rank fourth all-time in program history, while his 6,494 passing yards rank sixth all-time. The redshirt senior's career 60.9% completion percentage is the fifth-best mark in MSU history, and his 524 completions rank sixth.

Tucker has not set a timeline for when Michigan State will announce its starting quarterback for the 2023 season. Despite appearing in only four career games, Kim is the most experienced of the Spartans' options, having completed 14-of-19 pass attempts (73.7%) for 174 yards and three touchdowns in spot duty last season. Houser, meanwhile, has attempted just two passes in his brief career.

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Matthew Lounsberry
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