Before Auburn: Graduate transfer quarterback from Michigan State … three-year letterwinner for the Spartans; 2021 and 2022 team captain … 49 career TD passes on 524-860 (.609) passing for 6,494 yards in 29 career games (223.9 ypg), including 26 career starts (16-10 record) . . . ranks among Michigan State’s career leaders in passing touchdowns (fourth with 49), completion percentage (fifth at .609), passing yards (sixth with 6,494), pass completions (sixth with 524), pass attempts (sixth with 860) and passing efficiency (eighth with 137.6 rating) . . . five career games with 300-plus yards passing . . . multiple TDs thrown in 13 games . . . threw for three or more TDs in seven career games along with four TDs in three games . . . also scored five rushing touchdowns (one in 2020; four in 2021; one in 2022) . . . three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection . . . redshirted 2019 season

High School: 2018 USA Today Illinois offensive player of the year … in three varsity seasons, including his sophomore year at Metea Valley before transferring to Naperville Central, passed for 7,008 yards and 83 TDs, and also rushed for 1,035 yards and 14 TDs . . . in two seasons at Naperville Central under Coach Mike Stine, became the career leader in completions (342), passing yards (5,367) and touchdowns (65) . . . Chicago Sun-Times, Naperville Sun, DuPage Valley Conference player of year . . . first-team all-IHSFCA Class 8 selection . . . threw for 3,113 yards and 40 touchdowns as a senior to lead Naperville Central to the second round of the Class 8A playoffs . . . also ran for 451 yards and four scores . . . three-time academic all-state … also played basketball and baseball

Personal: Birthday is June 26 … son of Jeff and Joanna Thorne . . . father Jeff was offensive coordinator, assistant head coach and head coach at North Central College, compiling a 65-10 record in six seasons, including a 46-4 record in CCIW play and the program’s first NCAA Division III national championship in 2019; the team finished NCAA runner-up in 2021 with a 13-1 record . . . Jeff also played quarterback at Eastern Illinois and was the offensive coordinator at Western Michigan in 2022 … grandfather John Thorne is in the North Central College Athletics Hall of Fame; during John’s coaching tenure, the Cardinals recorded 118 victories, won eight straight CCIW titles (2006-13) and made eight appearances in the NCAA Division III playoffs . . . grandfather Dave Martin played football at Wisconsin … has two sisters, Noelle and Lauren … received bachelor’s degree in communication from Michigan State … doing graduate work in the College of Education

Payton Thorne