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Hugh Freeze makes QB switch as Hank Brown will replace Payton Thorne as Auburn’s starter

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Hugh Freeze makes QB switch as Hank Brown will replace Payton Thorne as Auburn’s starter

Redshirt freshman Hank Brown is set to get the start in Week 3 for Auburn. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)

Auburn’s Week 2 loss has led to a QB switch.

According to multiple reports including Rivals’ Auburn Sports, the Tigers are set to start redshirt freshman Hank Brown in Saturday’s game vs. New Mexico. Payton Thorne has been the team’s quarterback since the start of the 2023 season and started the first two games of 2024. Thorne, a Michigan State transfer, threw four interceptions in the Tigers’ 21-14 loss to Cal.

The QB switch comes days after Auburn coach Hugh Freeze made it clear in his coaches show Monday night that he felt the coaching staff was not largely responsible for his team’s defeat. Freeze said that he was “kind of baffled” at times by Auburn’s offense.

“I’m the first to stand before our team and say, ‘Guys, we called five plays that schematically that did not give you a fighting chance,” Freeze said. “And that’s our fault and that’s tough for me to say but I always do that. But honestly, there was one play in this game that I think was a bad call by our staff and the rest of them, if we just — now, we blew a protection, you can’t do that, and it cost us. We have a wheel route running down the sideline, [Cal’s defense] totally dropped him and we blew a protection with our tailback and missed that one. And then the others, though, Payton he just did not — fourth-and-2, midfield, was not a good decision. We’ve got two slants that were just by themselves, they both won on fourth-and-2, stick it on them, let’s move the chains and he got greedy and tried to throw a deep ball. Situational awareness, things like that.”

Thorne played in all 13 games for the Tigers a season ago and was 162-of-265 passing for 1,755 yards and 16 TDs to go along with 10 interceptions.

Brown was a three-star recruit in the class of 2023 according to Rivals. He originally committed to Liberty when Freeze was coaching the Flames but followed the former Ole Miss coach to Auburn. Brown appeared in Auburn’s Week 1 win and threw two touchdown passes across three completions in five attempts. Brown also appeared in one game as a freshman in 2023 and threw nine passes. He became the No. 2 quarterback after the season after Robby Ashford transferred to South Carolina.

We’d expect Auburn’s offense to be more run-based like it was in 2023 with Brown as the quarterback. The Tigers have still rushed more than 50% of the time in 2024 but have thrown a greater percentage of passes through the first two games of the season.

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