Payton Thorne should be Auburn football's next quarterback

It's the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. All signs seem to be pointing to Peyton Thorne being Hugh Freeze's next quarterback. Freezing temperatures are likely for several hours inland and a few hours closer to the coast. Yes. You are locked on Auburn, your daily podcast on the Auburn Tiger. I'm your host Zach Blacker. Thank you so much for making Lockdown Auburn your first listen every single day. And the every dayers know that we're joined by Darrell Daprich today. So that means we're bringing the sauce, bringing the heat because look, I think we're close, Darrell. We're going to see kind of a lot of smoke come from different directions with all signs pointing to Peyton Thorne, the former Michigan State quarterback being connected to Auburn more and more. We've been all over this from the get go, Darrell, but it seems like we're the closing stretch with all of this since he's entered the portal on Sunday. Yeah, I feel that way you see some beat riders and some national talk show host and regional talk show host coming right out in Twitter and being very, very transparent about it. In fact, an hour ago, Cole Kublick, former Auburn Center had probably the greatest tweet and 80s reference to every rose has its thorn, a great power ballad there way before your time, Zach. With him saying that, the reason why I bring that up and being a little bit out there with it tells me that it's just a matter of time. I feel like unless things can happen, things can change, but all signs point and indicate to that from Brian Stoltz who's really close to Hugh Freeze and in his ear. Extremely. Extremely. And things like that, you know, setting things. And the fact that he was putting it out there, I mean, he's, I mean, I'm sure he's been giving information from Coach Freeze, but it's like they're friends. He's not going to jeopardize that. So the fact that Stoltz put it out, Stoltz is a very good rider with Auburn rivals. The fact that he put it out there to me was like, okay, here we are. I don't you would, I don't you agree that you would have to have some sort of permission or acceptance as close as he is to you, freeze to do that? I think that there's an underlying factor that he's not going to go rogue and say that without the blessing from you, freeze, in my opinion. It certainly feels that way. You know, I think we could read him between the lines there. I don't want to speak on behalf of Stoltz. I mean, he then responded to a few questions and said it's like a 99.9% chance. It's like, okay, I, I, he's not saying that unless there's some substance to it. You saw it from this CFB transfer portal tracker that has been right on some stuff. They've also missed a few things. It's got the check mark. That doesn't mean as much as it used to, but that, you know, that, that is what it is there. You know, they, they said according to sources, it's going to happen. And look, Daryl, we've got similar sources. I, I've kind of thought he was the favorite to be Auburn's next quarterback since he entered the portal based on kind of people that I've talked to. And then the Casey Thompson thing, the fact that Casey Thompson left and it's like, yeah, it seems like it seems like Casey Thompson's now the backup plan. And I think all signs now point to Peyton Ford and it all but backs it up. And I think it all but confirms that he will be an Auburn Tiger quarterback. I think by the end of the weekend. The verbiage getting back to the tweet that Stolts came out with is when you talk about sources and things we have heard mirrors a lot of those same sediments like this was Hugh Freeze's guy. This is the guy he targeted when he got into the portal. This was the guy that he targeted is wanting for Auburn and it piggybacks what Hugh Freeze said and Huntsville last week at that ambush event where he said, look, Auburn fans go, you know, are all excited when quarterbacks jump in the portal, get this guy, get this guy. Because I look at the film and I'm like, no, he's not it. I'll know who it is. And then boom, two or three days later, I don't think that's a coincidence. I think his patience is paying off. Being picky is paying off. Darrell, I talked to somebody on staff and they said that Hugh Freeze's involvement in Peyton, Thorin's recruitment was significantly larger than everybody else that's been in the portal. And I'm sure he's been very involved with everyone else's in the portal. But for this one, Hugh, this was, it appears, Darrell, that this was a can't miss one for Hugh Freeze. And I mean, it's not official yet, but I think it's dang close. I think it's as close as it can be until he makes a formal announcement and formally enrolled for summer classes. That's why I trust the process and his evaluation of quarterbacks. You know, at the end of the day, waiting this long was a little frustrating for Auburn fans who lost patience. But we just said trust in Hugh Freeze, he's a quarterback whisper. He knows what he's looking for. He has a good track record. So at the end of the day, this just reinforces it for me. And I feel even more content that this was the guy that he really took a big, big lead on, a big part in. It makes me feel comfortable and confident that we have our guy. Yeah. Now that, you know, hindsight is 20, 20, and we're making a big assumption here that Thorin will be Auburn's next quarterback. I mean, it's not official at the time of us recording this, but I think we both got a pretty good feeling. I don't think some of the stuff that came out today would have happened if that wasn't the case. But if now that you're able to look back and see all these other quarterbacks that were in the portal, I mean, it kind of seems like this one makes the most sense. It does. I think the only other one that I would have gotten this excited about was Grayson McCall. The other ones like Spencer Sanders and the kid, Nolan from Oregon State and some of these others, that was Buckner. That's an example of just taking a quarterback for the sake of taking one. You want to elevate your room. You want to enhance the performance. And I think Grayson McCall was the only other name in the portal that I got excited about at this level, having watched Thorin's tape, his film, having sat as a very sad former pit panther follower on the Peach Bowl and watched Thorin just shred our secondary. Sure. And I watched that. I was like, who is this dude? Because that was his first year. He had a great 2021. He made some great throws that year. And I saw it firsthand. So that's why the excitement level for him, if this pans out, is at a level only that I saw when Grayson McCall jumped in in December and I thought Auburn had a real shot to get him. Well, I think they did. I just don't think they could. I mean, I think that was a great, some McCall thing. I certainly see McCall, but it was his number one option and then Florida was two and it didn't work there either. So we'll see. Yeah, the Casey Thompson stuff. I think that would have been a good fit too. I can't shake, but think the two year option with Peyton Thorne versus the one year option for Casey Thompson is another thing that Hugh Freeze is looking at here. We've talked to folks close to the program. 24 is his date. The 2024 playoffs is something that is on Hugh Freeze's radar. And it's easier to do that if this will be an experienced quarterback that is the second year in the system and I'll have played a ton of college football by, you know, next season, assuming he's the starter for Auburn this year. And all of a sudden it's like, okay, you'll bring back all of your receivers, right? Javari's Johnson should still be here. Ken DeBrouser still be here. Maybe some of these young guys step up the Hugh Freeze and the staff have brought in. Maybe you're a receiver away and you can kind of make that pitch in the portals period next year. And this offensive line, I think, is kind of in a situation that looks good moving forward. So I mean, there's a lot of viffs to this, but you can kind of see the path to where it's like, man, I think we're, I think we're a season away from being really, really competitive at Auburn again. That's why in the portal, when you talk about adding weapons, I think this would be the first domino to fall, you want to go get a receiver that's a big play receiver that can play two years too. Obviously, if you get that big guy that can play and make an impact for one, you take them, but I think more than likely to kind of mirror what you've got with Peyton Thorin. And look, I'm going to, I'm going to say this. Is that kind of the portal there, Daryl? Right now, like it is Montana Lemonius Craig, that guy is a kid from Ohio State, that guy. The kid from Texas, San Antonio is that guy. I like him a lot and, you know, crazy stat, if he comes over to Auburn with his stats, he would like be Auburn's leading receiver career wise with his numbers that he has at Texas San Antonio. Now obviously it's a different, it's a different playing power five football compared to group of five, but I will say this. And I don't want anyone to misconstrued this as a comparison of player to player. I'm comparing scenario to scenario. When you talk about 2024 and maybe Peyton Thorin coming and playing next year and then 2024 being the year, that seems eerily similar to another Big Ten quarterback coming from Ohio State to LSU that made LSU's quarterback room better in 2000 in 2018, but really took the next step in 2019. I'm not saying, so you're saying, Lawrence, the next Joe Burrow. I'm not saying that. But I'm saying you see how the scenario could play out to where you go to another level after the second year and in Brown, the next Jim R Chase confirmed. And I will say this, borns a little bit at the head of the game because he played two years in the Big Ten already and put up some great numbers where Burrow did not. Now Burrow's a generational talent. I get you. But I'm saying the scenario is when you, when you earmarked 2024 like you did, that lines up perfectly with getting your feet wet, playing in 2023, building a roster around him, getting a guy in the portal right now, now that the dominoes have fallen, getting a receiver to follow the quarterback. All right. Who, you know, assuming Thorin gets here, what does the fall look like for the Auburn Tigers? We discussed in just a moment right here, unlocked on Auburn. Today's show brought to you by our friends at Bilt Bar, Darrell, you love Bilt Bar's. I love Bilt Bar's. I got to tell you guys, I'm down 11 pounds. Bilt Bar's a part of that. It is a great treat where it's like only 150 calories and it keeps you full. When I need something sweet in the afternoon or in the evening, maybe after dinner, grabbing a Bilt Bar way better than getting some ice cream or something like that. And it tastes, I mean, it tastes pretty good. We're not just saying that. I love the puffs. I ordered the peanut butter puffs. I talked about them so much. Then Darrell had to. I'm a great influence on you, Darrell. You're welcome. Are they not? They are. And you know, this proudly say I'm down 18 pounds. So this podcast is down 33. I want to see another podcast out there that's done that. But anyway, the Bilt Bar's in the afternoon, I get cravings and I used to go to the vending machine and get that three musketeers. Now I reach over and get the Bilt Bar and it's really been a lot healthier for me. It really, and it's keto friendly, which is what I'm doing. High protein, all that good stuff. Yeah. And I'm going to talk about Bilt.com. You will not regret it. Use promo code locked on 15. L-O-C-K-E-D. Oh, and one five. No spaces locked on 15 for 15% off your order at built.com. There. The Tampa Bay Rays are for real this season and they just swept one of the best teams in baseball to prove it. The Pirates, they have not run into a buzz saw a team like the Rays and I think it got to them. They bounced back in game two against the Lakers. Can they keep this momentum going as the series heads to LA? And just like that, it's a best of five. And the Vegas Golden Knights are looking to build on a high scoring game one victory in their second round series against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. That's the way this team had played back in the inaugural season in the playoffs. For all these stories, head over to locked on Rays, locked on Warriors and locked on Golden Knights. Check out locked ons new series, Paving the Way. Each episode will highlight a different voice from around the network, a locked on host whose journey in the industry has helped pave the way toward creating a more inclusive and diverse media landscape. That's Paving the Way presented by State Farm, available now on the locked on presents podcast feed. Oh, the reigning starter is still Robbie Ashford, especially with TJ Finley gone. How do you anticipate this battle looking like assuming Thorne does come to Auburn? Well, you know, I don't think you go out and get somebody in the portal with this much energy and this much enthusiasm. Sure, there's going to be a competition. I don't, I think one of the things we heard back channel wise is that you freeze was not going to guarantee the starting spot to anybody. And there may have been some people that wanted that guarantee. And he's like, no, you're going to have to compete. Sure. And by the day, I think that the attributes that a quarterback like Peyton Thorne has, not to sell Robbie short because he's a badler. He's a warrior. I love the kid's heart. I love what he can do with his legs. He's dynamic to a certain extent with different degrees. But if you want to elevate the passing game and you want to make it better than it was and get receivers here that, you know, are attractive and desirable, I think at the end of the day, Peyton Thorne has to be your guy and he ends up, I think winning the job shows enough in the summer as to why Auburn went out and got him. So I'm just asking this question. It's impossible for us to know this far out, but I do think it's worth some part of our brain to kind of think about it at this point. So Thorne or whoever Hugh brings in is going to be at somewhat of a disadvantage, right? Because you need to go through spring. I mean, this is a brand new offense. It's going to be a brand new playbook. You got to rebuild. You got to, or not even rebuild. You got to build chemistry with receivers, offensive line, running back, all this stuff. And you're moving from Michigan to Alabama, which that's a win. That's certainly a win, I would think. Yes. But it's going to be a lot summer. Can you imagine? He's going to be like burning up this summer. But the fact that like, okay, he hasn't really gotten those reps. Do you think there's any pressure or any kind of importance in narrowing the battle down to just two people and then to one person at the quarterback battle so they can get more reps throughout fall? That's a good point. And I think that's going to have to be decided because you, on one hand, you want to give the person that's going to be the eventual starter, more reps. But on the other hand, you want it to look like an open competition. You don't want to isolate or alienate Garner either. So if you make it a two horse race, you're basically just sending the message that he's disposable. And you don't want that. This kid could end up being good. He could compete with Walker White after Peyton Thorne graduates. So you've got to be very careful and pick your poison. Do I give more reps to the eventual starter at the sake or the basically expense of alienating a Holden Garner? And that's where you just got to be careful. I don't know the answer to that. I think once he gets on campus, I think when you start watching him go through practice and that kind of thing, if it looks like he needs more reps, then maybe you make that decision at that point. Yeah. And then like if you're Hugh and you've got Peyton for two years, are you worried about Holden Garner? I mean, I hate to ask that question because I like Holden Garner. I love his upside and I think he's got a great throwing motion, but it's like, well, Hank Brown's is dude, the baby goat. And you get Peyton for two years and the Walker White's committed, which two four seven compared him to Will Levis. Do you see that? He did. That was a player comp was Will Levis. So that's interesting. I actually texted him about that. I'm like, your thoughts, he's like, I'm honored to be compared to a second round. I'm like, cool, good answer. Good answer Walker. But, but yeah, so I mean, how like is Holden Garner needed? If you're Hugh Freeze, like are you concerned about Holden Garner? I don't know. I genuinely don't know the answer to that question. I don't think you are. I mean, I think it, you know, just it just, you don't want to agree. It kind of stinks. Yeah, you don't want to send it. Yeah, you just don't want to send that message though. I mean, it's hard when you're recruiting quarterbacks. Now the road, you don't want the appearance to be that you just kind of threw a kid away in that scenario or, or, or, or, or didn't give him a fair shake or fair chance to win the job. I think that's something that needs to be considered. I'm with you. I'm with you. So we will certainly see what that looks like. As far as the decision for Hugh Freeze, apparently to go after Thorne more than Casey Thompson, are you cool with it? Do you think it makes sense for the current state of this program? You know, I thought all along, I just had this really strange feeling and I've talked about it with you and you kind of felt the same way that it was going to be Casey Thompson. I was like, all the tea leaves are pointing to that. And then Thorne came out of left field. I was very much in the Casey Thompson boat. Was very happy with that. But when I've watched highlights and film and game footage of Thorne, I am okay with that. I think that there's a little bit more upside besides the two year thing. I think there's a little more arm talent there and a little bit more big playability down the field. Now, Thompson does more with his legs and scrambles and is probably more of an RPO, traditional RPO guy. Statistically, that's not really true. Right. But I test wise, it's certainly one. He's definitely more athletic. Yeah. So at the end of the day, when you're looking at a running back room that's as great as Auburn's is right now, the potential to be great, you need to absolutely focus on a higher level passing game and whoever's the better passer or has a potential to throw from more yards, put it in tighter windows. That's what you have to go with. And that's why I think Thorne's the guy. So perhaps Auburn could have a quarterback that's a thorn in the side of opposing defenses are Mick cloudy days ahead for opposing quarterbacks. We discussed that in just a moment right here on lockdown. Auburn, when I encourage you to join the lockdown Auburn discord, you can tell me how bad that transition was and how bad of a dad joke that was. Feel free. But yeah, click the link in the episode description down below to join our community over in the lockdown Auburn discord. Jalen McCloud, the former app state edge player is going to listen as a Jack linebacker once he's at Auburn, Darryl. But what were your initial thoughts about this guy? I know you have high, high praise for this kid. Man, when I saw all the Jack linebackers that went into the portal, this guy, and I want to pronounce his name right, is it Uquo from James Madison? I'd say it Uquo. Yeah. Those were the two on my Christmas list. I know we looked at Steven sings and Rahim Thomas and some other guys, but those two guys were the guys that stood out to me. Let me tell you why I like McCloud so much. Why don't we did he have all the physical attributes and just the speed and the first explosive step and just all that stuff, leverage. I look at players that come from group of five schools, even if they have Gody statistics and they ball out, I go back and try to look at highlights in game film from when they played power five schools. I was watching the A&M app state game live because like everybody else in the SEC, I wanted to see Jimbo get beat by a group of five and I was reveling in it. And I kept seeing 35 make plays all over the field, including that big strip sack fumble, whatever that he did. He just looked different and he had a really, really good game against Texas A&M who's an SEC power five. To me, that's when I was sold. I get what you want to do against Louisiana and coastal Carolina and all that. But when you play the big boys, how do you measure up? And he, I could, you could tell he was a difference maker on the field against A&M. I love his athleticism. I think it's, if you could hand pick a jack to get in this lineup and on this defensive side of the ball, it would be McLeod. I'm very excited about that addition. Yeah. Five quarterback hurries against Texas A&M. If you give me five quarterback hurries against every SEC team you're playing, yes, please. The NFL will also take that, by the way. So when you, when you look at his size and there's a lot of inconsistency with how big he is, which is a little annoying, but some places say like 6, 1, 2, 30, I've seen 6, 2, 2, 20, regardless, they're smaller than the 6, 5, 6, 6, 2, 6, see that we're currently looking at on the roster with Elijah McAllister and with Kelldard Falk. Do you think his role will be different or do you think they can play him on all three downs? I think you can because I watched how he played the run and one of the big things in A-Day that was a big problem was setting the edge and letting the ballcares bounce outside. He has very good speed, sideline to sideline and did a good job, in my opinion, in containment with the running backs and setting the edge. McAllister and Falk are going to have to do that. They're going to have to, that's part of the edge or the, you know, the Jack linebackers, not just pin years back and be an edge rusher, you're going to have to tackle somebody in space that's running the football as well on the edge. When they bounce it outside, the speed and quickness he has, sideline to sideline, showed me he can stay on the field all three downs. Yeah. Yeah. And I think that's exciting. I think that's exciting. I'm a little less confident in that than you are, but I think Auburn has the personnel to cover it up as far as, okay, you know, if you can force a second and seven all of a sudden, then I think his snaps become a little bit more relevant. But still, I mean, this is the guy I think is going to spell Elijah McAllister a ton, a ton. And I think it's going to allow Kellert Falk to play that backup edge role. And also the backup defensive then role because, you know, Jeffrey and Bob did leave a hole there. Some people want to act like Jeffrey and Bob leaving isn't a big deal. And like it may not be a huge deal, but it does impact things like let's don't act like it doesn't. And so, you know, Kellert Falk being able to do kind of two different positions. Long term, I love that. I absolutely love that for his development. And I mean, he could be a day one draft pick in a few years with doing stuff like that. It also doesn't, you don't have to force Kellert Falk and rush him along in that role, whatever role you want to play him in. If you want to start McCloud opposite of McAllister, you can do that and bring Falk along at his own pace and not put all that pressure on him as a true freshman and rush him. You don't want to rush him. You want to let him develop. Now, I think you're going to have a hard time keeping that kid off the field because of the physical attributes and what the buzz is about him anyway. But you don't have to throw him to the wolves, so to speak. You can let him develop at his own pace. I think at the end of the year, at the end of the year, the Jack position is going to be a go from a room that was a weakness at Auburn to a strength. Well, the three guys that you've got that I think this staff feels comfortable playing right now, I love all three of them. It's just thin. It's just so thick. I just don't think we're done. I don't think we're done. I think Auburn's getting one more. I think Auburn's going to get one more and it'll be somebody that can contribute as well and then you can rotate four bodies and it's going to be a significant difference from what you saw before. Yeah. I'd like to see one more, Jack. I'd like to see one more offensive lineman. I'd like to see two receivers. I'd like to see two receivers. I'd like to see one more middle linebacker and one more safety. You want another middle linebacker? I do because I like that kid from North Texas. Oh, yeah. I have seen some stuff about him. I like him. I got you. I got you. And another safety. So you want a middle linebacker because you like a certain player, not because you think it's like a hole? Yeah. It's like if you can add that talent, you add it. I'm with you. I'm with you. That's what it's not that there's a glaring hole or a weakness or position in need. Just add a stud. No, I'm with you. I'm with you. I think that's great. Two receivers, I agree with you two on that, by the way. Yeah. I mean, I just don't think you can get a receiver until Hugh Freeze can look these kids in the eye and say, hey, this is going to be your quarterback or this is guy. We brought this quarterback in to compete. We're getting better in the quarterback room type thing. Because what you've done so far hasn't moved the needle when it comes to pass catchers. And it seems like Auburn's fine from an NIL standpoint as far as offering this stuff. And it's like, I like Nick Marner for what he is. I don't think Nick Marner is a number one or a number two receiver. I just don't. I think it's a great piece. I think it's a great ginormous human being that you can use in certain situations to create mismatches. And I love that. You need that. But other than Camden Brown, Jabari Johnson, I just, I don't know. And like, I don't love coy mowers and outside God, I do love coy mowers and overall athlete and a receiver. But, you know, as far as just stretching the field and making the defense to fit every blade of grass, you need at least one more dude that you can line up outside. You got to get, we got to get guys open and we got to get separation. And some of that is physical attributes. Some of that to be quite honest with you is coaching and schemes. And we've been lacking for years and how our receivers are getting coached and on how to get separation and running routes and all that kind of stuff. Some of it is God given the talent and ability. But some is schematics. You can scheme people open and you freeze and fill my gummy are good at that. That's why I think guys like Cam Brown and Jovars Johnson are going to eat and anybody that gets brought in because I think he'll scheme guys open. I really do. And think of a guy like Martin, you talked about situational. If we get inside the 10, Auburn gets inside the 10 and you throw fair weather and Marner in there and just start letting. Hey, Camden. Yeah. Camden, whoever throw jump balls. I love that. Anybody receivers that can seal and block people out and go get the ball and high point the ball. We need that. Auburn's needed that. And I think that helps in situations. There's no doubt. There's no doubt. Darrell, thank you so much for your time as always. My friend, people check out everything that you've got going on. A little DAP 6410 down there on Twitter. You can I'm in the discord interacting there. Monday mornings at 710 with our good friend Ben Taylor on Auburn. We'll talk a lot to you this morning. And then we got Tuesdays on the Max Roundtable about 11 15 something like that. Darrell's all over the place. You can follow me on socials at ZBlackRee Read all of my written work at Auburn Daily.com and we'll see you tomorrow. This has been locked on Auburn. The Tampa Bay Rays are for real this season and they just swept one of the best teams in baseball to prove it. The Pirates, they have not run into a bus. They saw a team like the Rays and I think it got to them. The Warriors bounced back in game two against the Lakers. Can they keep this momentum going as the series heads to LA? And just like that, it's a best of five. And the Vegas Golden Knights are looking to build on a high scoring game one victory in their second round series against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. That's the way this team had played back in the inaugural season in the playoffs. For all these stories head over to Lockdown Rays, Lockdown Warriors and Lockdown Golden Knights. Then check out Lockdown's new series, Paving the Way. Each episode will highlight a different voice from around the network. A Lockdown host whose journey in the industry has helped pave the way toward creating a more inclusive and diverse media landscape. That's Paving the Way presented by State Farm, available now on the Lockdown Presents podcast feed. A Prime Member, you can listen to this Lockdown podcast ad-free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today! Hey.