Auburn Tigers News: Payton Thorne on getting benched, AU on top for 3-star OL

In today's edition of Auburn Tigers News, quarterback Payton Thorne talks about being benched and a 3-star OL is impressed with Auburn

The quarterback roller coaster ride continues on the Plains. Two weeks ago, returning starter Payton Thorne was relegated to the bench after a disastrous performance against Cal. Redshirt freshman Hank Brown got the starting nod and played extremely well against the Lobos.

Brown started on Saturday against Arkansas in Auburn football's SEC opener, and things began to go downhill. Suddenly, Thorne was back in the driver's seat. For Thorne, those two weeks were the first time he wasn't QB1 in his entire football career, and it's been a massive learning experience.

"I came home, just kind of sat down, and I just kind of thought to myself, that was the first time I'd run with the 2's since, since 2020," Thorne said postgame, per Auburn Undercover. "So it was a new experience, a new viewpoint of things. And now I believe that everything happens for a reason. And you know, if you take the right mindset with it, there's always something to learn. … And I feel like I learned a lot over the past 10 days or so.

3-star OL is impressed with Auburn

Despite the disappointing outcome of Saturday's game, one positive that came from the loss was a top-tier recruiting visit for 3-star offensive lineman Nelson McGuire. The Texas native is ranked as the #76 recruit out of his state and the #34 IOL in the recruiting class of 2025.

McGuire raved about the atmosphere in Jordan-Hare Stadium for the SEC opener, calling gameday on the Plains "unmatched" by any other school. When asked where the Tigers stand after the loss to the Razorbacks, McGuire's answer was unchanged.

"Still the same ranking I said before, at the very top," McGuire said, per Auburn Rivals. "No other school has shown me the kind of energy that they have with the game, with the team, with the coaches, anything like that."