"Payton's different"

[WFE12 9,350]

Payton’s different’: Why Auburn players believe it’s time to buy stock in Payton Thorne

By Ainslee Lee

 

Auburn wide receiver Sam Jackson V has seen Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne when he is most comfortable — and last year wasn’t it. 

“Last year you saw Payton, and that wasn’t Payton,” Jackson told reporters Tuesday. 

Jackson, who transferred in from Cal this offseason, watched as Thorne became the career leader in completions, passing yards and touchdowns at Naperville Central High School. As Thorne’s high school teammate, Jackson was on the receiving end of many of those passes.

It hasn’t been since the 2021 season, when Thorne was still at Michigan State, that Jackson has seen Thorne at his best. That year, Thorne eclipsed 3,200 passing yards and recorded 27 touchdowns on 60% passing. 

"You go back to 2021 and that’s how Payton is playing now,” Jackson said. 

Representing Auburn at SEC Media Days, Thorne was asked by reporters if he anticipated having a better year every which way possible. 

“No question,” Thorne replied to one reporter before explaining that it was difficult to get thrown into the fire of fall practice without having a spring camp under his belt. 

Auburn tight end Rivaldo Fairweather, who also transferred ahead of last season, can attest to Thorne looking much more comfortable heading into Year 2 on The Plains. 

“Payton, he’s really comfortable back there,” Fairweather said on Tuesday. “Payton knows everything that’s going on. When he knows what’s going on, he’s more comfortable, he knows the right checks (and) he knows the right reads to make.”

Thorne making the correct reads seems to be a common theme through the first few days of fall camp at Auburn. 

Even Auburn running back Damari Alston made mention of it on Tuesday. 

“The way he goes through his progressions and reads, it’s crazy,” Alston said.

The son of a football coach, Thorne has always been regarded as someone with a high football IQ. 

Jackson went as far as to compare Thorne to two-time Super Bowl Champion Peyton Manning — and not just because the pair share a first name, but because of the “cerebral part of the game.”

“He has that down pat,” Jackson said. 

Last year, Thorne couldn’t lean into the “cerebral part of the game” because he lacked talent around him, Jackson says. 

“I think the main thing was the receiver room — we didn’t have a lot of juice in the room. Now, we’ve got those guys and you see Payton kind of flourishing. You need guys around you,” Jackson said.

If you don’t have receivers that know ‘I need to get open on this play because it’s an RPO’ or ‘I need to get my eyes back,’ it makes the quarterback second guess. Now that you have guys like (KeAndre Lambert-Smith) and (Robert Lewis), who know what it is and know that part of the game, it’s easier for Payton. Payton knows where he’s going with the ball every single time.”

During Tuesday’s practice, Alston was on the receiving end of a pass from Thorne and it left an impression on the junior running back. 

“He threw a ball today that made me go, ‘Oh, my God. Payton is so good,’” Alston said. “I just can’t wait for y’all to see that side of him.”

With Thorne looking more and more like a quarterback who set program records in high school and passed for more than 3,200 yards in 2021, Jackson says it’s about to be a totally “different ballgame.”

“He’s flourishing. If you guys are out there today, you can see that Payton just... he’s quick, he’s decisive with everything he does,” Jackson said. “And I feel like people didn’t really get to see a lot of that last year just because of the struggles that they had on offense. But this year is going to be a different ballgame for sure.”

 

[phillyeagle 172]

All aboard!!! I am here for it!

 

[Auburn93 775]

1 hour ago, WFE12 said:

Payton’s different’: Why Auburn players believe it’s time to buy stock in Payton Thorne

By Ainslee Lee

 

Auburn wide receiver Sam Jackson V has seen Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne when he is most comfortable — and last year wasn’t it. 

“Last year you saw Payton, and that wasn’t Payton,” Jackson told reporters Tuesday. 

Jackson, who transferred in from Cal this offseason, watched as Thorne became the career leader in completions, passing yards and touchdowns at Naperville Central High School. As Thorne’s high school teammate, Jackson was on the receiving end of many of those passes.

It hasn’t been since the 2021 season, when Thorne was still at Michigan State, that Jackson has seen Thorne at his best. That year, Thorne eclipsed 3,200 passing yards and recorded 27 touchdowns on 60% passing. 

"You go back to 2021 and that’s how Payton is playing now,” Jackson said. 

Representing Auburn at SEC Media Days, Thorne was asked by reporters if he anticipated having a better year every which way possible. 

“No question,” Thorne replied to one reporter before explaining that it was difficult to get thrown into the fire of fall practice without having a spring camp under his belt. 

Auburn tight end Rivaldo Fairweather, who also transferred ahead of last season, can attest to Thorne looking much more comfortable heading into Year 2 on The Plains. 

“Payton, he’s really comfortable back there,” Fairweather said on Tuesday. “Payton knows everything that’s going on. When he knows what’s going on, he’s more comfortable, he knows the right checks (and) he knows the right reads to make.”

Thorne making the correct reads seems to be a common theme through the first few days of fall camp at Auburn. 

Even Auburn running back Damari Alston made mention of it on Tuesday. 

“The way he goes through his progressions and reads, it’s crazy,” Alston said.

The son of a football coach, Thorne has always been regarded as someone with a high football IQ. 

Jackson went as far as to compare Thorne to two-time Super Bowl Champion Peyton Manning — and not just because the pair share a first name, but because of the “cerebral part of the game.”

“He has that down pat,” Jackson said. 

Last year, Thorne couldn’t lean into the “cerebral part of the game” because he lacked talent around him, Jackson says. 

“I think the main thing was the receiver room — we didn’t have a lot of juice in the room. Now, we’ve got those guys and you see Payton kind of flourishing. You need guys around you,” Jackson said.

If you don’t have receivers that know ‘I need to get open on this play because it’s an RPO’ or ‘I need to get my eyes back,’ it makes the quarterback second guess. Now that you have guys like (KeAndre Lambert-Smith) and (Robert Lewis), who know what it is and know that part of the game, it’s easier for Payton. Payton knows where he’s going with the ball every single time.”

During Tuesday’s practice, Alston was on the receiving end of a pass from Thorne and it left an impression on the junior running back. 

“He threw a ball today that made me go, ‘Oh, my God. Payton is so good,’” Alston said. “I just can’t wait for y’all to see that side of him.”

With Thorne looking more and more like a quarterback who set program records in high school and passed for more than 3,200 yards in 2021, Jackson says it’s about to be a totally “different ballgame.”

“He’s flourishing. If you guys are out there today, you can see that Payton just... he’s quick, he’s decisive with everything he does,” Jackson said. “And I feel like people didn’t really get to see a lot of that last year just because of the struggles that they had on offense. But this year is going to be a different ballgame for sure.”

 

No one speaks about his rocket arm, accuracy, and his ability to throw into tight windows. I'm glad though he is more comfortable with the offense and knows where the ball has to go. 

[BustemBigBlue 189]

Is the soul glo mullet back though? That’s the burning question. 

[EastLakeTiger 57]

We can only hope

[AUx 3,165]

This is the year. Payton Thorne has relaxed so much under this new offense. He’s comfortable. He’s having repose. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a dark horse for the Heisman.

[WillMunny 1,561]

I'm encouraged, but seeing is believing.

[Shadow Tiger 1,497]

I've held my stock in him since last year. I know many are skeptical of him, but I got a feeling he makes the necessary improvement.

[Lotto 267]

4 hours ago, Shadow Tiger said:

I've held my stock in him since last year. I know many are skeptical of him, but I got a feeling he makes the necessary improvement.

Agreed. Hope the oline is good

[TeamZero77 1,931]

I'm buying into the hype. If I get burnt, it won't be the first time. 

I know the Freeze Four are the WR's getting most of the attention but don't sleep on KeAndre Lambert-Smith and especially Robert Lewis. He may have played at Georgia State but Lewis will be a big piece to this years offense. 

Damn, I'm ready for this season!!! Like a kid counting down the days until Christmas!! WDE

[Viper 3,499]

13 hours ago, EastLakeTiger said:

We can only hope

[Viper 3,499]

12 hours ago, AUx said:

I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a dark horse for the Heisman.

[EastLakeTiger 57]

2 hours ago, TeamZero77 said:

I'm buying into the hype. If I get burnt, it won't be the first time. 

I know the Freeze Four are the WR's getting most of the attention but don't sleep on KeAndre Lambert-Smith and especially Robert Lewis. He may have played at Georgia State but Lewis will be a big piece to this years offense. 

Damn, I'm ready for this season!!! Like a kid counting down the days until Christmas!! WDE

He honestly literally can't be worse than last year.  Our WR talent was awful, but he wasn't good either.  It's a little bit of both.

I think Hugh being able to talk to him in game, a better offense, better WRs, etc should propel his numbers. 

I hope the first 4 game are fruitful and he has 100 attemps and sitting somewhere around 1k yards and 8-10 TDs with 1-2 picks rolling into the Oklahoma game

[ScotsAU 1,388]

People forget that this offense is all about the RPO. It doesn’t require dynamic QB play. You just have to make the right reads. Considering that he didn’t play in this kind of offense at MSU, there was likely a learning curve, which was hindered by him not having spring practice. I would use the phrase cautiously optimistic. I want to see him improve before I jump aboard, but I don’t understand folks writing him off either. 

[Cardin Drake 2,076]

I'm optimistic.  Payton's running ability last year was a pleasant surprise.  We will see have to wait and see but I think he will have drastically improved passing numbers. 

 

[DAG 34,754]

[AU Is Gold 442]

I'm not confident in Thorne. He made too many dumb mistakes regardless of the WR play and the offensive line. I can only hope to be proved wrong, but I doubt that happens. Why all of a sudden is everybody so high on this guy because of a couple of articles? 

[AU Is Gold 442]

And stop talking about the Heisman. Opposing fans screenshot that kind of stuff. I would rather you meltdown like Notre Dame fans over a QB flip than talk about Payton Thorne and the Heisman. 

[AU120289 479]

I hope he is different and has a great year for himself and the team. We will find out soon enough. 

[JuscAUse! 1,672]

This is preseason. Everybody is a Heisman candidate and every team is in the playoffs. Embrace it. We'll face reality later. But at least wait til we lose a game to go straight to ' we're doomed! Our QB -or fill in the blank player -or coach sucks '! FGS we're AU fans. We know how this roller coaster works. If you're right, well, so be it. But you could be wrong. I'm definitely not sure either way. 

PS ...this was posted in a light hearted mood with a big smile on my face. My humor NEVER translates to the written word. FWIW. 

 

 

[Sizzle 3,948]

I’ll just wait and see. Everybody looks good in camp especially a QB who’s not getting hit.
 

Hopefully he improves because that’ll good for the present and the future of the program but I’m not holding my breath.  Thorne had some of the worst QB play I’ve seen come through Auburn which is saying a lot 

[CMRVHS 58]

13 minutes ago, Sizzle said:

I’ll just wait and see. Everybody looks good in camp especially a QB who’s not getting hit.
 

Hopefully he improves because that’ll good for the present and the future of the program but I’m not holding my breath.  Thorne had some of the worst QB play I’ve seen come through Auburn which is saying a lot 

#selectivememory

[arktiger1975 672]

A huge 1 year improvement definitely wouldn't be unprecedented. Jason Campbell and Ben Leard come to mind. A lot of people had written those guys off, but they ended up very good QBs.

[Viper 3,499]

5 hours ago, ScotsAU said:

I don’t understand folks writing him off either. 

Lotttttttttt of boneheaded plays last season, even with time to throw. The 3rd & 17 pass to Fairweather against Cal…perfect pocket…severely under-thrown. Fairweather made an incredible adjustment to catch it. Without that adjustment, we likely lose the game.

[Gowebb11 9,871]

9 minutes ago, Viper said:

Lotttttttttt of boneheaded plays last season, even with time to throw. The 3rd & 17 pass to Fairweather against Cal…perfect pocket…severely under-thrown. Fairweather made an incredible adjustment to catch it. Without that adjustment, we likely lose the game.

I don’t disagree with your assessment but last year our offense was as discombobulated as I’ve seen at AU in a long time.