Auburn Briefing: Payton Thorne discusses the quarterback battle with Robby Ashford

Auburn finally made Payton Thorne available to the media on Wednesday.

Of course, it didn't take long before he was asked questions about Robby Ashford and the quarterback battle.

"I thought it was good, healthy competition," Thorne said on his battle with Ashford. "I don’t think it was anything that was toxic like sometimes quarterback competitions can be. I have respect for Robby. It was good competition."

He was then asked about Ashford's role in the offense. He quickly deferred to the coaches.

"That’s not up to me," Thorne said. "I’m sure coach will figure that out. I’m going to leave that up to him."

They said it

Auburn wide receiver Jay Fair was asked about the wide receiver room on Wednesday.

“I think we have the potential to do really well, just have to take it day-by-day. We are growing weekly as a unit, so I feel like we just have to stay consistent with that. I feel like there will not be any drop off between rotating and with different positions: outside, inside, or whatever. I feel like everybody in the room is capable of doing everything.”

We wrote it

Auburn has 14 players on the Senior Bowl watch list that was release on Wednesday.

The offensive side of the ball saw six players named, the most notable of which was the newly named starting quarterback Payton Thorne. A trio of wide receivers also got the nod as Javarius Johnson, a three-year starter for the Tigers saw his name on the list. Transfer WRs Shane Hooks (Jackson State) and Jyaire Shorter (North Texas) joined Johnson. Transfers Dillon Wade (Tulsa) and Rivaldo Fairweather (Florida International) were the last two offensive players added from Auburn. Wade was the only offensive lineman from the Tigers to be on the list.
Defensively the defensive backs got their time in the spotlight, as four of the eight are in the defensive backfield. DJ James, Keionte Scott, Jaylin Simpson, and Nehemiah Pritchett all of which look to be starters in the 2023 season after productive 2022 seasons. The last four are all transfers, with linebackers Larry Nixon III (North Texas) and Jalen McLeod (App. State) both looking to come in and prove themselves in the SEC. The last two are both experienced SEC defensive linemen, Elijah McAllister (Vanderbilt) and Justin Rogers (Kentucky).

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