SEC Program Announces Unexpected Quarterback Change Ahead of Week 3

The 2024 college football season has been quite sporadic for some of the most well-known programs in the nation.

While the top of the rankings has been consistent, with the Georgia Bulldogs, Texas Longhorns, and Ohio State Buckeyes dominating their competition, other hopeful programs have been disappointing to start the year.

One of those powerhouse programs is the Auburn Tigers in the SEC.

Auburn started the year with a monster 73-3 victory over AAMU in Week 1 and then got stunned by California 21-14 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Following the upset loss at home, head coach Hugh Freeze and his staff have decided to make a quarterback change.

They will bench veteran signal-caller Payton Thorne and start redshirt freshman Hank Brown against New Mexico in Week 3.

Thorne entered the year as the established starter. He was the starter last season, and his experience was supposed to help improve the Auburn offense. That hasn't been the case.

Thorne, who's been producing at the college level for five years, has recorded five touchdowns and four interceptions in the past two games.

He's posted 487 yards with a 56.3 completion percentage.

Freeze decided to pull the plug on Thorne and look for a spark with Brown.

Brown committed to the Auburn Tigers as the No. 60 quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class . He was ranked as a three-star prospect and has been with the program for two years, both of which have been under Freeze.

He hasn't seen the field much in his college career, having played in two games, one in 2023 and one in 2024, with limited snaps.

In 2023, during a 31-13 loss to Maryland, Brown recorded 132 yards, completing 7-of-9 pass attempts.

Brown then played in the finale of the Tigers' 73-3 victory over Alabama A&M in Week 1 of the 2024 college football season. He completed 3-of-5 pass attempts for 96 yards and two touchdowns.

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