Former Michigan State QB Payton Thorne announces where he’ll play next

Once Payton Thorne told Michigan State fans his days as a Spartan had come to an end, it didn’t take long for the quarterback to announce where he was headed.

Thorne, who started 26 games at Michigan State and ranks in the top 10 of multiple career passing statistics, said on Friday that he has committed to Auburn, a little less than a week after entering the transfer portal and a day after thanking Michigan State fans.

He heads to a school that, like Michigan State, finished 5-7 last season and held a quarterback competition throughout spring practice. Under new coach Hugh Freeze, the battle was between junior T.J. Finley and redshirt sophomore Robby Ashford, both former starters, and redshirt freshman Holden Geriner. Finley entered the transfer portal after spring practice, leading to the Tigers searching for a potential replacement.

In Thorne, Auburn gets a quarterback who has appeared in 29 career games, throwing for 6,494 yards. A two-time captain, Thorne’s 49 touchdowns rank fourth in program history while he’s fifth in completion percentage (60.9%), sixth in passing yards (6,494), sixth in completions (524) and eighth in passing efficiency (137.6).

He also has five career games with 300-plus yards passing and has thrown multiple touchdown passes in 14 games. Thorne and Connor Cook are the only quarterbacks in program history to throw four touchdown passes in a game at least four times.

Thorne’s career at Michigan State is highlighted by the 2021 season when the Spartans went 11-2 and capped it off with a win over Pittsburgh in the Peach Bowl. Thorne set the MSU single-season record for touchdown passes with 27, surpassing Kirk Cousins, who had 25 in 2011. He also ranked among Michigan State’s single-season leaders in total offense (third with 3,414 yards) and passing yards (third with 3,233).

With Thorne officially done as a Spartan, it means he’ll likely be replaced by redshirt junior Noah Kim, who had pushed Thorne during the spring in a quarterback competition that also included redshirt freshman Katin Houser.

Kim was 14-of-19 passing for 174 yards and three touchdowns in four games last season and drew nearly equal the snaps Thorne did during Michigan State’s final spring workout that included live scrimmaging. During those scrimmages, Houser had the fewest snaps and took none during the two-minute sessions that closed the practice.

Houser, though, will have an opportunity over the summer and in preseason camp to push Kim while four-star freshman Sam Leavitt will also be on campus next month.

mcharboneau@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @mattcharboneau