AUBURN, Ala. — Former Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne is headed to Auburn.
The Tigers announced the signing of the fifth-year senior on Friday, giving new coach Hugh Freeze an experienced arm to potentially boost a passing game that ranked among the nation’s worst last season. Auburn quarterbacks combined for just nine touchdown passes in 2022 and ranked 119th in passing yards per game with an average of 173.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Thorne, from Naperville, Illinois, was 16-10 as a starter for the Spartans and has thrown for 6,494 yards, 49 touchdowns and 24 interceptions in his collegiate career. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Thorne ranks fourth in career touchdown passes at Michigan State, fifth in completion rate (61%) and sixth in passing yards. He played in four of the team’s seven games in 2020, making his first start in the season finale, and started every game for the Spartans the past two years.
Thorne led the Spartans to a comeback win against Pittsburgh in the Peach Bowl to cap an 11-2 season in 2021, but they were 5-7 overall and 3-6 in the Big Ten last year, when he passed for 2,679 yards with 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Mel Tucker, entering his fourth season as Michigan State’s coach, said earlier this spring that the two-time team captain was part of an open competition to take the first snap next season.