Greg McElroy, Cole Cubelic react to Auburn naming Payton Thorne as starting QB

Greg McElroy and Cole Cubelic have discussed the Auburn quarterback competition all week on WJOX in Birmingham, Alabama, and now that Hugh Freeze has named Payton Thorne, the co-hosts on “McElroy and Cubelic In the morning,” spoke to the reasons.

Cubelic noted that leadership and understanding likely had a lot to do with the decision, and Thorne’s ability to operate the entire offense, understand defenses, situational scenarios were the deciding factors.

“Those are the spots he most likely thrived,” Cubelic said.

McElroy added that it was going to be a tall order for anyone to unseat Thorne. But what McElroy is interested in is how Robby Ashford still contributes and impacts the team, as Freeze suggested.

Cubelic focused on Freeze’s comments about Ashford that he will always have a package, “if he handles this the right way.”

“He can help the football team, he absolutely can, he can help Auburn win games,” Cubelic said. “And he can provide something Payton Thorne is not going to provide, and he can provide something that defenses are going to have to defend and prepare for, and make Auburn a more difficult team to slow down. But it’s going to have to be handled the right way.”

To kick off Friday’s edition of @macandcube, @colecubelic & @GregMcElroy broke down Hugh Freeze’s decision to name Payton Thorne the starting QB for @AuburnFootball in Week 1. pic.twitter.com/yIqenmC6I7

— WJOX 94.5 FM (@WJOX945) August 18, 2023

Keith Farner

A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.