Quarterback, Auburn (from Michigan State), 2019–24
Payton Thorne
Lettered 2020–21 at Michigan State (school media guide)
- Number
- No. 1
- Height
- 6′2″
- Weight
- 203 lb
- Class (2024)
- Senior
- Hometown
- Naperville, IL
Payton Thorne played quarterback at Michigan State (2019–22) and Auburn (2023–24).
Career highs
354passing yards, career highvs. Pittsburgh, 20215touchdown passes, career highvs. UL Monroe, 2024123rushing yards, career highvs. Samford, 20232rushing touchdowns, career highvs. Samford, 2023Passing
| Season | Team | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Michigan State | 48 | 85 | 56.5 | 582 | 6.8 | 3 | 3 |
| 2021 | Michigan State | 235 | 389 | 60.4 | 3,240 | 8.3 | 27 | 10 |
| 2022 | Michigan State | 242 | 387 | 62.5 | 2,679 | 6.9 | 19 | 11 |
| 2023 | Auburn | 162 | 265 | 61.1 | 1,755 | 6.6 | 16 | 10 |
| 2024 | Auburn | 199 | 317 | 62.8 | 2,713 | 8.6 | 21 | 9 |
| Career | 886 | 1,443 | 61.4 | 10,969 | 7.6 | 86 | 43 | |
Rushing
| Season | Team | Car | Yds | Avg | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Michigan State | 25 | 47 | 1.9 | 1 | 38 |
| 2021 | Michigan State | 82 | 181 | 2.2 | 4 | 32 |
| 2022 | Michigan State | 60 | 42 | 0.7 | 1 | 21 |
| 2023 | Auburn | 134 | 515 | 3.8 | 3 | 61 |
| 2024 | Auburn | 112 | 283 | 2.5 | 2 | 31 |
| Career | 413 | 1,068 | 2.6 | 11 | 61 | |
Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.
On the roster
| Season | Team | No. | Pos | Class | Ht | Wt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Michigan State | 1 | QB | Yr 1 | ||
| 2020 | Michigan State | 1 | QB | Yr 2 | ||
| 2021 | Michigan State | 1 | QB | Yr 3 | ||
| 2022 | Michigan State | 1 | QB | Yr 4 | ||
| 2023 | Auburn | 1 | QB | Yr 5 | ||
| 2024 | Auburn | 1 | QB | Sr. (Yr 6) | 6′2″ | 203 |
As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.
Per play
| Season | Team | Plays | EPA/play | Pctile | Median | Total | Usage | Adj. pass | Adj. rush |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Michigan State | 110 | 0.12 | – | – | 12.9 | 43% | 0.19 | – |
| 2021 | Michigan State | 457 | 0.41 | 76th (n=145) | 0.33 | 187.0 | 53% | 0.58 | 0.32 |
| 2022 | Michigan State | 438 | 0.21 | 22nd (n=250) | 0.32 | 92.9 | 57% | 0.33 | 0.11 |
| 2023 | Auburn | 391 | 0.28 | 36th (n=255) | 0.32 | 108.8 | 47% | 0.30 | 0.28 |
| 2024 | Auburn | 422 | 0.34 | 64th (n=238) | 0.30 | 142.3 | 60% | 0.38 | 0.12 |
Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). Adjusted pass and rush: EPA per play adjusted for the defenses faced (CollegeFootballData’s WEPA). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.
Game by game
2024 Auburn 11 games, 2,713 passing yards, 21 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Cmp | Att | Yds | TD | Int | Rush |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 | vs. | W 73–3 | 13 | 21 | 322 | 4 | 0 | 49 |
| Sep 7 | vs. | L 14–21 | 14 | 27 | 165 | 1 | 4 | 43 |
| Sep 21 | vs. | L 14–24 | 13 | 22 | 213 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| Sep 28 | vs. | L 21–27 | 21 | 32 | 338 | 3 | 1 | 23 |
| Oct 5 | at | L 13–31 | 16 | 27 | 200 | 0 | 0 | 22 |
| Oct 19 | at | L 17–21 | 17 | 29 | 176 | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| Oct 26 | at | W 24–10 | 20 | 26 | 172 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| Nov 2 | vs. | L 7–17 | 20 | 29 | 239 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Nov 16 | vs. | W 48–14 | 22 | 32 | 286 | 5 | 0 | 27 |
| Nov 23 | vs. | W 43–41 | 19 | 31 | 301 | 2 | 1 | 38 |
| Nov 30 | at | L 14–28 | 24 | 41 | 301 | 1 | 1 | 42 |
2023 Auburn 13 games, 1,755 passing yards, 16 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Cmp | Att | Yds | TD | Int | Rush |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | vs. | W 59–14 | 10 | 17 | 141 | 1 | 0 | 15 |
| Sep 9 | at | W 14–10 | 9 | 14 | 94 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Sep 16 | vs. | W 45–13 | 24 | 32 | 282 | 1 | 2 | 123 |
| Sep 23 | at | L 10–27 | 6 | 12 | 44 | 0 | 0 | −34 |
| Sep 30 | vs. | L 20–27 | 10 | 19 | 82 | 0 | 1 | 92 |
| Oct 14 | at | L 18–48 | 12 | 23 | 102 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
| Oct 21 | vs. | L 21–28 | 9 | 13 | 100 | 1 | 1 | 34 |
| Oct 28 | vs. | W 27–13 | 20 | 26 | 230 | 3 | 0 | 38 |
| Nov 4 | at | W 31–15 | 17 | 27 | 194 | 2 | 1 | 40 |
| Nov 11 | at | W 48–10 | 12 | 20 | 163 | 3 | 1 | 88 |
| Nov 18 | vs. | L 10–31 | 15 | 19 | 148 | 1 | 0 | 38 |
| Nov 25 | vs. | L 24–27 | 5 | 16 | 91 | 1 | 2 | 57 |
| Dec 30 ✦ | vs. | L 13–31 | 13 | 27 | 84 | 1 | 1 | −5 |
2022 Michigan State 12 games, 2,679 passing yards, 19 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Cmp | Att | Yds | TD | Int | Rush |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | vs. | W 35–13 | 12 | 24 | 233 | 4 | 1 | 22 |
| Sep 10 | vs. | W 52–0 | 18 | 28 | 212 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Sep 17 | at | L 28–39 | 30 | 42 | 323 | 3 | 1 | 12 |
| Sep 24 | vs. | L 7–34 | 17 | 24 | 132 | 0 | 2 | −3 |
| Oct 1 | at | L 13–27 | 27 | 44 | 221 | 1 | 0 | 14 |
| Oct 8 | vs. | L 20–49 | 11 | 18 | 113 | 1 | 1 | −23 |
| Oct 15 | vs. | W 34–28 | 21 | 28 | 265 | 2 | 0 | −9 |
| Oct 29 | at | L 7–29 | 17 | 30 | 215 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Nov 5 | at | W 23–15 | 19 | 29 | 182 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| Nov 12 | vs. | W 27–21 | 19 | 35 | 256 | 2 | 0 | 33 |
| Nov 19 | vs. | L 31–39 | 27 | 42 | 298 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Nov 26 | at | L 16–35 | 24 | 43 | 229 | 1 | 1 | −21 |
2021 Michigan State 13 games, 3,240 passing yards, 27 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Cmp | Att | Yds | TD | Int | Rush |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3 | at | W 38–21 | 15 | 25 | 185 | 1 | 0 | 28 |
| Sep 11 | vs. | W 42–14 | 15 | 21 | 280 | 4 | 0 | 19 |
| Sep 18 | at | W 38–17 | 18 | 31 | 261 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Sep 25 | vs. | W 23–20 | 14 | 23 | 183 | 1 | 1 | −5 |
| Oct 2 | vs. | W 48–31 | 20 | 30 | 327 | 1 | 0 | 31 |
| Oct 9 | at | W 31–13 | 16 | 27 | 339 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
| Oct 16 | at | W 20–15 | 14 | 26 | 126 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| Oct 30 | vs. | W 37–33 | 19 | 30 | 196 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Nov 6 | at | L 29–40 | 20 | 30 | 276 | 2 | 1 | 47 |
| Nov 13 | vs. | W 40–21 | 22 | 30 | 287 | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Nov 20 | at | L 7–56 | 14 | 36 | 158 | 1 | 0 | −9 |
| Nov 27 | vs. | W 30–27 | 19 | 30 | 268 | 2 | 1 | 39 |
| Dec 30 ✦ | vs. | W 31–21 | 29 | 50 | 354 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
2020 Michigan State 4 games, 582 passing yards, 3 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Cmp | Att | Yds | TD | Int | Rush |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 7 | at | L 7–49 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| Nov 14 | vs. | L 0–24 | 10 | 20 | 110 | 0 | 1 | 25 |
| Dec 5 | vs. | L 12–52 | 16 | 25 | 147 | 0 | 1 | 42 |
| Dec 12 | at | L 24–39 | 22 | 39 | 325 | 3 | 1 | −20 |
Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.
Before the draft
| Drill | Pro day 2025 |
|---|---|
| Height | 6′1⅝″ |
| Weight | 207 lb |
| Arm length | 31″ |
| Hand size | 9¼″ |
| 40-yard dash | 4.70 s |
| 10-yard split | 1.67 s |
| Vertical jump | 31″ |
| Broad jump | 9′9″ |
| 3-cone drill | 7.20 s |
| 20-yard shuttle | 4.25 s |
Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
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