If Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze starts quarterback Payton Thorne at quarterback after all those interceptions, then we’ll know that Freeze isn’t too concerned with results on the field this season.
There were times last season when Thorne played like one of the worst quarterbacks in the SEC. Based on everything we witnessed in Auburn’s 21-14 loss to Cal, he unfortunately hasn’t improved.
Don’t blame Freeze for Thorne’s lack of development. It’s tough to squeeze water from a stone. Blame Freeze for not being able to land a better quarterback in the portal two years ago and then refusing to make an upgrade in the offseason.
There was never any mystery about Thorne’s limitations as a passer. He had already played for two whole seasons at Michigan State and thrown 24 interceptions. He averages about 10 picks a year. He’s a tough football player, and he plays with a lot of heart, but is he capable of leading a comeback at Georgia?
Is he capable of leading a comeback against Auburn High School?
It’s not that Freeze doesn’t have a better quarterback on the team this season. It’s just that Freeze is refusing to play Walker White as a true freshman. Personally, I can’t blame him, and I hope Freeze’s big gambit for Auburn pays off. But make no mistake about it. Freeze is taking a chance with his career this season.
Freeze has a plan for Auburn. He’s playing the long game. It’s a gamble in team building in this modern age of college football. What’s the alternative? Auburn, for example, needed one season with senior transfer quarterback Cam Newton to win a national title.
But what happened to Gene Chizik after that?
Chiz got canned two years later.
