Auburn football quarterback Payton Thorne didn't have the season he wanted to have in 2023. He'd be the first to admit things didn't go to plan. He hoped to perform well enough to give himself a decision on whether or not to return to college for his final year of eligibility this upcoming season or head to the 2024 NFL Draft.

Thorne is back with the Tigers for a second season, and Freeze confirmed at SEC Media Days on Thursday in Dallas that the former Michigan State transfer is going to "get the nod" as the starter.

Freeze opted not to go out and get a quarterback in the portal to replace Thorne. He explained the layered reasoning behind his decision, which included the upgraded talent around his QB and an offensive staff that appears to be more in lockstep than it was a year ago.

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"I felt like we could put some pieces around him that would allow him to reach his potential, and I've seen it on film," Freeze said of Thorne. "I think he was really, really solid in another Power Five conference. I think he's proven he can use his feet to move the chains when we need to. ... I think the combination of those two things (talent upgrades and coaching changes) is going to provide him the tools to have a successful year. He knows that he's got to produce. We don't run from that."

Auburn is returning just two receivers from a season ago in third-year player Camden Brown and former Ohio State transfer Caleb Burton III. The Tigers brought in a group of freshmen nicknamed the Freeze Four − Cam Coleman, Perry Thompson, Bryce Cain and Malcolm Simmons − and added three transfers in KeAndre Lambert-Smith (Penn State), Robert Lewis (Georgia State) and Sam Jackson V (Cal).

Those perceived improvements should help the Tigers increase their passing numbers. Auburn ranked last in the SEC in 2023 with 162.2 passing yards per game, nearly 20 yards worse than the next closest team in Mississippi State.

"I think that’s the biggest difference right now in Payton. ... He senses there’s a comfortableness and chemistry in that offensive room that has bred a confidence in him,: Freeze said. "You combine that with, ‘I feel a little better about this guy out there’ Whether it’s Dre, whether it’s Cam, whether it’s Perry or Robert or Sam or Camden, I think he feels like he can turn it loose sometime and have a chance to win.”

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football: Why Hugh Freeze believes Payton Thorne can succeed