The Tigers quarterback room looks a little different after the spring transfer portal window has come and gone.
The addition of Payton Thorne (Michigan State transfer) and the departure of TJ Finley has shaken up the assumed depth chart heading into the 2023 offseason.
Hugh Freeze now has two quarterbacks he can work with, and barring injury Thorne should be a massive boost for the Tigers' offense.
According to one outlet, however, the addition of Thorne is, as the kids say, mid.
The Tennessean released an article grading every single SEC football transfer portal quarterback. Article author Blake Toppmeyer graded Auburn's addition of Thorne a C+.
Here's what Toppmeyer said about Thorne:
"Hugh Freeze seized a quarterback with two years of starting experience during the spring transfer window. That's good news after Auburn whiffed on adding a transfer quarterback in the winter. The downside is Thorne threw 21 interceptions the past two seasons. Assemble talent around Thorne, and he looks good. See 2021, when Michigan State went 11-2. Put too much on his shoulders, and he’ll struggle. See ’22, when Sparty regressed to 5-7. Thorne upgrades AU’s quarterback situation as compared to the Bryan Harsin era."
No quarterback in Toppmeyer's list graded high than a B+:
Devin Leary (NC State to Kentucky): B+
Payton Thorne (Michigan State to Auburn): C+
Tyler Buchner (Notre Dame to Alabama): C
Spencer Sanders (Oklahoma State to Ole Miss): C
Graham Mertz (Wisconsin to Florida): D
Jake Garcia (Miami to Missouri): D
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