Hugh Freeze has settled on his starting quarterback decision, and the Auburn coach has chosen Payton Thorne to be the Tigers’ starting QB for the season opener.

Justin Hokanson of On3 reported the news after Thorne reportedly beat out Robby Ashford and Holden Geriner for the job.

This news came after comments by Freeze last week led some to wonder if the competition was reshuffled. Freeze was prepared to cut the competition for the starting quarterback position down the day before the Saturday scrimmage but changed his mind afterward.

“Yesterday, I had my mind made up,” Freeze said. “And after today, I need to watch the film before I say.”

Freeze also said Saturday that there’s a need to “take care of the ball” and “playing in the right space on given plays” as points of emphasis.

Thorne announced his transfer to Auburn from Michigan State in May after he appeared in 29 games for the Spartans from 2019-2022. He became the starting QB for the 2021 season and overall helped the team win 16 games in the role.

Michigan State had a disappointing 5-7 season in 2022 after it won 11 games the year before. Thorne had 6,493 yards passing with 55 total touchdowns and 24 interceptions as a Spartan.