Following a 24-14 loss to Arkansas on Saturday, the Auburn Tigers are facing a quarterback dilemma.
Payton Thorne began the season as the Tigers’ starting quarterback until being benched after four interceptions versus California.
Auburn subsequently went to Hank Brown, a redshirt freshman. Brown led the Tigers to a 45-19 victory over New Mexico, completing four touchdown passes. This was not the case in Brown’s first start in an SEC game, as he battled with ball control, throwing three interceptions in the first half.
Down 7-0, head coach Hugh Freeze decided to bring out Thorne in the second half to try to give the Tigers a boost. Thorne had a strong day, throwing for 213 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in a losing effort.
Which quarterback will start this week against No. 21? Oklahoma remains uncertain, with Freeze remarking in a Monday morning press conference, “It’s going to be a battle this week…to figure out who can master the plan against all these fronts that were gonna face at Oklahoma.”
Whoever Freeze chooses could be an indicator of how this season would unfold. The Tigers are in a unique circumstance. Currently at 2-2 (0-1), a spot in the College Football Playoff is a long shot; but, the season is not a wash. Oklahoma is the first of three consecutive ranked opponents that the Tigers will face.
If Freeze starts Brown, it would indicate that the Tigers are committed to developing their young quarterback and laying the groundwork for the program’s future success. Freeze stated that he thought Brown looked excellent at times, but also emphasized some of his mistakes.
“You watch the first drive and you believe…Hank is making the right decisions until we get to the 25-yard line and then we got a check-down wide open and he makes that decision and then made two other poor ones but looked really, really sharp at times,” Freeze said.
Brown’s inexperience may put the Tigers behind the eight ball in most matchups, but there is hope that getting him reps early will help him develop into a solid gunslinger and benefit Auburn in the long run.
Going the Thorne approach would imply that being competitive is Auburn’s major priority. Despite his poor performance over the last two seasons, Thorne’s experience gives him an advantage over Brown if the Tigers want to win right now. Thorne, who started for Auburn last season, is familiar with SEC play. The potential may be low, but he is the safest choice to plug into the scheme if Auburn wants to win games.
Auburn has several quarterback possibilities, including redshirt sophomore Holden Geriner and freshman Walker White. Both were considered four-star recruits by 247 Sports and may see action as well. In the uncertain world of college football, it will be interesting to see where the Tigers go in the 2024 season.
