Hugh Freeze thinks the Auburn football quarterback who was benched could follow Jalen Milroe.

Hugh Freeze reportedly used Jalen Milroe as an example for benched QB Payton Thorne before the Auburn football head coach swapped in Hank Brown as QB1 ahead of the Tigers’ Week 3 matchup with New Mexico at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

“Hugh Freeze used Jalen Milroe’s benching and subsequent redemption story as an example to Payton Thorne that there may be an opportunity to bounce back but also told him what’s best for the team is to give Hank Brown the start this week,” The War Rapport’s Mike Gittens relayed.

Milroe was benched by Nick Saban against USF during the 2023 season for Tyler Buchner; who ended up returning to Notre Dame to play lacrosse in the offseason. Eventually, Milroe took the starting job back and helped lead the Crimson Tide to an SEC Championship and a College Football Playoff spot. But it took adversity against Texas and USF to get the best of Milroe.

Payton Thorne won’t have Jalen Milroe-esque redemption arc with Auburn football
Milroe lost to Texas. Thorne lost to New Mexico State, Maryland, and Cal. Their lowlights aren’t similar and their ceilings certainly aren’t either.

Mirloe is a great example to use while speaking to Thorne about the way forward. Freeze didn’t do the wrong thing there. It’s just that Thorne doesn’t appear to have the chops to be an SEC QB. Meanwhile, Milroe is a potential first-round NFL draft pick.

This isn’t to say that Thorne can’t have a productive finish to his Auburn career. Helping Brown along and being a mentor would make him a tremendous locker-room asset.

But Thorne overcoming adversity and becoming a conquering hero for AU shouldn’t be anticipated by anyone. Freeze doesn’t expect that deep down and Thorne may not either.

Might as well not make the faulty comparison to begin with.