Payton Thorne ranked worst out of new SEC quarterbacks

Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne has had a bit of an odd start to his Auburn career.

The Tigers have struggled to get their passing attack going through two games, and Thorne's numbers haven't been as exciting as fans originally expected.

Through two games, Thorne is completing 61.3% of his passes for 235 yards, three passing touchdowns and an interception.

According to The Athletic, that's good for worst out of the eight new quarterbacks in the SEC this season.

Kyle Tucker of The Athletic recently put together a ranking of the eight new quarterbacks in the SEC ($); Conner Weigman (Texas A&M), Joe Milton (Tennessee), Carson Beck (Georgia), Devin Leary (Kentucky), Jalen Milroe (Alabama), AJ Swann (Vanderbilt), and Graham Mertz (Florida).

Payton Thorne ranks last. Behind Graham Mertz.

Tucker starts his commentary on Thorne by stating that one would think Thorne would be ranked higher here, considering he threw for 6,500 yards at Michigan State and seemed like a good fit for Hugh Freeze.

"Thorne also fumbled on the opening possession and threw an interception in that unexpected nail-biter — Cal, which went 10-18 the last three years, is hardly a juggernaut," Tucker continued.

He also pointed out that Thorne only attempted 14 passes in that game, vs the Golden Bears and only 17 the week before against UMass. On top of that, Robby Ashford, the incumbent at the position heading into this season, has also been receiving playing time - running for 59 yards and three touchdowns so far this season. "It seems prudent to maintain a wait-and-see approach to buying Thorne stock," Tucker says.

Thorne should get more of the attention at quarterback from here on out, and it's safe to assume Auburn will be throwing the ball a little bit more during conference play.

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