AUBURN, Ala. — The availability of Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne for the upcoming Saturday matchup against Louisiana-Monroe remains unclear. Head coach Hugh Freeze announced that Thorne did not participate in practice during the team’s recent bye week, following a right shoulder injury sustained during a defeat against Vanderbilt. The injury has not yet fully recovered.

Freeze expressed some concern regarding Thorne’s recovery on Wednesday, stating, “Not as far along as I had hoped with the shoulder. He thinks he’s going to be fine. But he was not ready to play (Tuesday) for sure.”

So far this season, Thorne has thrown for 1,825 yards, having secured 13 touchdowns while also tossing seven interceptions. Following a disappointing outing that included four interceptions in a game against California, he was benched in favor of Hank Brown. Brown himself had a rough outing earlier in the season, throwing three interceptions in the first half of a game against Arkansas before Thorne took over.

As of now, Thorne’s backup options include Brown and freshman Walker White. Freeze has remained cautious when responding to queries about whether there might be a change in the quarterback position, either due to Thorne’s health or performance issues. “We’ll see how this week goes with that, and with the others getting reps — and go from there,” he conveyed. “It’s certainly not an indication that I don’t think he’s played pretty solid here as of late. You start thinking big picture.”

He further noted the difficulty in balancing the needs of the team and the players, emphasizing the significance of determining the best strategies for the remaining three games in the season. “Obviously, we’ll start seeing how his health is first and foremost,” Freeze concluded, citing the priority of ensuring Thorne’s readiness as the focus moving forward.