2020 Football Roster
Roster
Thorne, Payton
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Jersey Number 10
Payton Thorne
- Position:
- QB
- Height:
- 6-2
- Weight:
- 210
- Class:
- Redshirt Freshman
- Hometown:
- Naperville, Ill.
- High School:
- Naperville Central
Bio
CAREER NOTES: Three-year letterwinner had 49 career TD passes on 524-of-860 (.609) passing for 6,494 yards (223.9 ypg) in 29 career games at Michigan State, including 26 career starts (16-10 record) . . . finished his Spartan career ranked 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) . . . had five career games with 300-plus yards passing . . . threw multiple TDs in a total of 13 games . . . threw for three or more TDs in seven career games along with four TDs in three games . . . was one of two Spartan QBs to throw for four TDs in a game at least four times (Connor Cook) . . . also scored five rushing touchdowns (one in 2020; four in 2021; one in 2022) . . . three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection . . . two-time team captain (2021, 2022) . . . transferred to Auburn in 2023.
2022 SEASON (REDSHIRT JUNIOR): Started all 12 games at quarterback for the Spartans . . . named a team captain for the second consecutive season . . . completed 62.5 percent of his passes (242-of-387) for 2,679 yards, 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions . . . ranked among the Big Ten leaders in pass completions (fourth with 242), pass attempts (fourth with 387), touchdown passes (fifth with 19), passing yards per game (sixth at 223.3) and passing yards (sixth with 2,679) . . . 11 of his 19 passing TDs were for 25-plus yards, and nine of those were thrown downfield for 20-plus yards, which tied for second in the Big Ten and tied for 22nd in the FBS . . . tied for fifth in the Big Ten with 41 passes of 20-plus yards . . .topped the 300-yard mark once (323 at Washington) and the 200-yard mark in nine of the 12 games . . . had multiple TD passes in six games, led by season-high four TDs in Western Michigan game . . . completed 24-of-43 passes for 229 yards and one TD in regular-season finale at Penn State . . . threw for 298 yards in Indiana game on 27-of-42 passing with two TDs, adding four rushes for 5 yards, reaching milestones of reaching 6,000 career passing yards, 500 career completions and moving up to No. 4 on MSU’s career TD passes list . . . was 19-of-35 passing for 256 yards in win over Rutgers; connected with Daniel Barker on a 26-yard scoring toss to open the Spartan scoring and adding a 25-yard pass to Jayden Reed in the second quarter for a 21-7 MSU advantage . . . added five rushes for a season-high 33 yards including a 14-yard scamper against the Scarlet Knights . . . was 19-of-29 passing for 182 yards and two TDs in windy conditions at Illinois, adding 10 rushing yards on four carries . . . engineered a quick three-play, 41-yard TD drive in the third quarter for MSU insurance TD, going 3-for-3 on the drive for 41 yards, connecting with Jayden Reed for a 16-yard TD pass play and put MSU ahead, 23-7 . . . was 17-of-30 passing for 215 yards and one TD toss at Michigan, with a 26-yard scoing pass to Keon Coleman in the first quarter, one of five passes of 20-plus yards on the night . . . was 21-of-28 passing for 265 yards with two TDs in Wisconsin game, throwing 27-yard TD pass to Keon Coleman in fourth quarter and a 27-yard strike to Jayden Reed in the end zone in the second OT for the walk-off Victory for MSU . . . also had a season-long 72-yard pass play to Maliq Carr in the third quarter to set up MSU’s second TD of game . . . was 11-of-18 passing for 113 yards with one TD against Ohio State . . . was 27-of-44 passing for 221 yards with one TD, adding five rushes for 14 yards at Maryland . . . was 17-of-24 for 132 yards with two interceptions in Minnesota game . . . opened game at Washington completing first 10 passes of the game, before throwing a ball away for his first incomplete pass . . . . the 10-straight completions was second time in career doing so, also completing 10 straight passes in his first career start at Penn State on Dec. 12, 2020 . . . became the first Spartan QB to open a game with 10 completions in a row since Brian Hoyer vs. UAB on Sept. 1, 2007 . . . finished the Washington game with a career-high 30 completions on 30-for-42 passing for a season-high 323 yards with three TDs, adding 12 yards rushing on 10 carries. . . also had successful two-point conversion passes in the second quarter and fourth quarter of Washington game, part of four total two-point conversion attempts in the game . . . was 18-for-28 for 212 yards in Akron game . . . tied his career high with four touchdown passes in the season-opening win over Western Michigan; completed 12-of-24 passes overall for 233 yards against the Broncos . . . also rushed four times for 22 yards to finish with 255 yards of total offense vs. WMU.
2021 SEASON (REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE): Had a record-setting season in his first year as the starting quarterback, collecting an 11-2 record and leading Michigan State to a No. 8/9 national ranking and a win in the New Year’s Six with a 31-21 victory over No. 12 Pitt in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl . . . set the MSU single-season record for most TD passes with 27, surpassing Kirk Cousins, who had 25 in 2011 . . . also ranked among MSU’s single-season leaders in total offense (third with 3,414 yards), passing yards (third with 3,233), passing yards per game (third with 248.7), passing efficiency (sixth with 148.1 rating), pass completions (tied for sixth with 234) and pass attempts (seventh with 388) . . . was 234-of-388 passing (.603) for 3,233 yards, 27 TDs and 10 interceptions . . . also ran for four touchdowns and had 181 net yards rushing on 82 attempts . . . without sacks, gained 362 yards on 61 carries (5.9 avg.), including 20 for first downs . . . ranked among the Big Ten leaders in passing touchdowns (third with 27), passing yards (fourth with 3,233), passing yards per game (fifth at 248.7), pass completions (fifth with 234), passing efficiency (fifth at 148.1 rating) and completion percentage (seventh at 60.3) . . . also ranked among the FBS Top 25 leaders in passing TDs (18th with 27), passing yards (23rd with 3,233 yards) and passing yards per completion (24th at 13.8) . . . earned honorable mention All-Big Ten accolades by both coaches and media . . . named to Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award and Manning Award Watch Lists . . . collected Academic All-Big Ten accolades for the second year in a row . . . threw for 200-plus yards in eight games and 300-plus yards in three games . . . was one of the most efficient downfield passers in the nation in 2021, ranking tied for sixth in the FBS with 14 TD passes of 20-plus yards . . . had two games with over 70.0 completion percentage, led by career-high 71.4 vs. Youngstown State (9/11) and 71.0 vs. Maryland (11/13) . . . threw three touchdowns in the win over No. 12 Pitt in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl victory (28 yards to Jayden Reed in first quarter; 15 yards to Connor Heyward in fourth quarter; 22 yards to Reed in fourth quarter) to set a school record for the most passing touchdowns in a single season . . . posted career highs in passing yards (354), passing completions (29) and passing attempts (50) against the Panthers . . . the 29 completions were a Spartan single-game bowl record, and the 50 passing attempts tied for the most . . . the 354 passing yards were second most by a Spartan in a bowl game, trailing only Jeff Smoker’s 376 passing yards in the 2001 Silicon Valley Bowl, and the 12th most overall in school history . . . Thorne was 14-of-19 passing for 144 yards in the fourth quarter to spark MSU’s 11-point comeback . . . completed 19-of-30 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns in Penn State game, adding 39 yards rushing on eight carries with one TD, a 1-yard plunge in the third quarter . . . was 14-for-36 for 158 yards and one TD at Ohio State, connecting with Keon Coleman for his first career TD . . . tied career high with four TD passes vs. Maryland (52 yards to Montorie Foster in first quarter; 29 yards to Jayden Reed in first quarter; 2 yards to Connor Heyward in second quarter; 3 yards to Reed in third quarter) . . . was 22-of-31 passing for 287 yards, the second-most passing yards by a Spartan against Maryland (Brian Lewerke with 342 in 2019) . . . was 20-of-30 passing with two TDs at Purdue, connecting with Tre Mosley for both scores . . . also had a career-high trying nine rushing attempts for a career-high 47 yards, including a season-long 32-yard scoring scamper in the third quarter, for second-longest rush of career behind career-long of 38 yards vs. Indiana (11/14/20), and third 30+ yard scamper of career, joining a 31-yarder vs. Ohio State (12/5/20) . . . was 19-for-30 with 196 yards in Michigan game and added two 2-point conversion passes to lead MSU to a 16-point second-half comeback win over the No. 6 Wolverines . . . was 14-for-26 passing for 126 yards with one TD at Indiana, adding first career catch for 12-yards on an acrobatic, highlight-reel catch on the sideline during MSU’s TD drive in third quarter, and also had 10 rushing yards on seven carries . . . threw for 339 yards on 16-of-27 passing for three TDs at Rutgers, as all three TDs were to Jalen Nailor in the first half on big plays of 63, 63 and 65-yards, and added one rush for 9 yards . . . in the Rutgers game, teamed with running back Kenneth Walker III (233 yards rushing) and wide receiver Jalen Nailor (221 yards receiving) to register the first time in Michigan State program history to have individuals with a 300-yard passing game, 200-yard rushing game and 200-yard receiving in the same game, with MSU becoming only the fifth team in FBS history to accomplish that feat, and first since 2008 . . . threw for 327 yards and one TD on 20-of-30 passing in Western Kentucky game, connecting with Jayden Reed on a 46-yard TD in the first quarter, and also scored second rushing TD of the season and third of career on a 12-yard scamper in the second quarter, part of seven rushes 31 rushing yards . . . was 14-of-23 passing for 183 yards and one TD in Nebraska game, throwing first interception on the season in the first quarter, on second attempt of game . . . was named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of Week and Manning Award Quarterback of the Week, along with being recognized by the Davey O’Brien Award for having one of the top eight quarterback performances in the nation in Week 3 for his outing at Miami, becoming just the second Spartan quarterback in school history, joining Connor Cook, to throw for four touchdowns in back-to-back games during MSU’s 38-17 victory at No. 24 Miami . . . after throwing for a career-high four TDs in the Week 2 win over Youngstown State, matched that effort against the Hurricanes by completing 18-of-31 passes for 261 yards and four more touchdowns, while finishing with 4 rushing yards on eight attempts, with a season-long 22-yard scamper, in addition to few bigger than the 1-yard QB plunge on fourth-and-1 at the MIA 40 late in the game to get the first down, then throwing a 39-yard TD pass to Jalen Nailor on the next play to seal the Victory for MSU . . . made first career home start in Spartan Stadium in the Youngstown State game and completed 14-of-20 passes for 273 yards and a career-high four touchdowns, marking first time a Spartan quarterback had thrown four TDs in a game since Brian Lewerke vs. Northwestern in 2017 . . . had an 85-yard pass completion to Jayden Reed in the second quarter and a 75-yard TD pass to Reed on the first offensive play . . . also had 19 yards rushing on three carries (6.3 avg.) with a 10-yard TD in the first quarter, and earned MSU Offensive Co-Player of the Game team award . . . made second career start in the season-opening win at Northwestern, throwing for 185 yards on 15-of-25 passing with one TD, to earn his first win as the Spartans’ starting QB . . . also rushed for 28 yards on five carries, in front of many friends and family from his nearby hometown of Naperville.
2020 SEASON (REDSHIRT FRESHMAN): Played in four games at quarterback, coming off bench in first three against Iowa, Indiana and Ohio State, before making first start of Spartan career in the Penn State game on Dec. 12 . . . was 48-of-85 passing (.565) for 582 yards (145.5 ypg) in four games . . . had 25 rushing attempts for 47 yards (1.9 ypc/11.8 ypg) with one TD . . . Academic All-Big Ten honoree . . . made first career start at Penn State and was 22-of-39 passing for 325 yards and three TDs . . . the 325 yards was not only an MSU record for most passing yards by a Spartan QB in first start, surpassing Ed Smith with 324 in 1976, but also a Spartan freshman single-game record . . . the 325 passing yards were the fourth-most by an MSU quarterback vs. Penn State, and most since Brian Lewerke threw for 400 vs. the Nittany Lions in 2017 . . . threw his first career TD pass with a 45-yard scoring strike to Jalen Nailor in the second quarter, adding a 26-yard strike to Tre’Von Morgan and a 7-yarder to Nailor late in the second quarter . . . topped previous game career-high in the first half alone, as 202 first-half passing yards bettered previous game high of 147 last time out vs. Ohio State in two-and-a-half quarters, coming off the bench partway through the second stanza . . . completed 12 consecutive passes in one stretch at Penn State from the second through third quarters . . . was 16-of-25 passing for 147 yards in Ohio State game, coming off the bench in the second quarter in place of injured starter Rocky Lombardi . . . completed first 11 passes against the Buckeyes, marking the first time an MSU QB had 10 or more consecutive completions since Connor Cook had 11 vs. Illinois on Oct. 26, 2013 . . . was also the first Spartan QB to open with 10 straight completions to begin a game since Brian Hoyer started with 10 vs. UAB on Sept. 1, 2007 . . . also rushed for a career-best nine attempts for 42 yards vs. OSU, including a 31-yard run, which was second-longest of career behind a 38-yard scamper vs. Indiana . . . scored on a 20-yard TD run in the third quarter, which was MSU’s longest rushing TD of the season, and was first TD of Spartan career, either rushing or passing . . . the freshman signal-caller also had a new career-long pass play with a 55-yard pass to Jayden Reed in the third quarter . . . in second collegiate game, completed 10-of-20 passes for 110 yards and one interception vs. No. 10 Indiana, including in his first play of the game in the second quarter, scampered for a 38-yard rush, MSU’s longest rush from scrimmage this season . . . made Spartan debut in game at Iowa and saw action in four snaps, with one pass attempt.
2019 SEASON: Redshirted . . . named Scout Team Offensive Player of the Week vs. Indiana.
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Top-ranked quarterback prospect in the state of Illinois by 247Sports and ESPN.com . . . ranked the No. 16 dual QB in the nation by 247Sports . . . listed among the best pocket passers in the nation by ESPN.com (No. 44) . . . rated one of the best overall players in Illinois by 247Sports (No. 11) and ESPN.com (No. 28) . . . 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 just two seasons at Naperville Central under Coach Mike Stine, became the career leader in completions (342), passing yards (5,367) and touchdowns (65) . . . named the 2018 Illinois Offensive Player of the Year by USA TODAY . . . also named the 2018 Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year and the Naperville Sun Player of the Year . . . received the DuPage Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year Award . . . first-team All-IHSFCA Class 8 selection . . . chosen to USA TODAY’s All-USA Illinois First Team . . . 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 . . . the RedHawks averaged 37 points a game as Thorne accounted for 44 total TDs . . . also played basketball and baseball . . . son of Jeff and Joanna Thorne . . . comes from football bloodlines, as his grandfather, John, coached at Wheaton Central High School and Wheaton-Warrenville South High School before spending 13 seasons at Division III North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, and is in the North Central College Athletics Hall of Fame after transforming the program into a national contender; during John’s tenure, the Cardinals recorded 118 victories, won eight straight College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Championships from 2006 to 2013, and made eight appearances in the NCAA Division III Football Championship . . . his grandfather, Dave Martin, played football at Wisconsin . . . Payton’s father, Jeff, was the offensive coordinator at North Central beginning in 2002, was promoted to assistant head coach in 2010, and took over the North Central program in 2015 following John’s retirement and was equally successful, compiling a 65-10 record in six seasons, including a 46-4 record in College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (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 collegiately as a quarterback at Eastern Illinois and was the offensive coordinator at Western Michigan in 2022 . . . born June 26, 2001 . . . communication major.
2022 SEASON (REDSHIRT JUNIOR): Started all 12 games at quarterback for the Spartans . . . named a team captain for the second consecutive season . . . completed 62.5 percent of his passes (242-of-387) for 2,679 yards, 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions . . . ranked among the Big Ten leaders in pass completions (fourth with 242), pass attempts (fourth with 387), touchdown passes (fifth with 19), passing yards per game (sixth at 223.3) and passing yards (sixth with 2,679) . . . 11 of his 19 passing TDs were for 25-plus yards, and nine of those were thrown downfield for 20-plus yards, which tied for second in the Big Ten and tied for 22nd in the FBS . . . tied for fifth in the Big Ten with 41 passes of 20-plus yards . . .topped the 300-yard mark once (323 at Washington) and the 200-yard mark in nine of the 12 games . . . had multiple TD passes in six games, led by season-high four TDs in Western Michigan game . . . completed 24-of-43 passes for 229 yards and one TD in regular-season finale at Penn State . . . threw for 298 yards in Indiana game on 27-of-42 passing with two TDs, adding four rushes for 5 yards, reaching milestones of reaching 6,000 career passing yards, 500 career completions and moving up to No. 4 on MSU’s career TD passes list . . . was 19-of-35 passing for 256 yards in win over Rutgers; connected with Daniel Barker on a 26-yard scoring toss to open the Spartan scoring and adding a 25-yard pass to Jayden Reed in the second quarter for a 21-7 MSU advantage . . . added five rushes for a season-high 33 yards including a 14-yard scamper against the Scarlet Knights . . . was 19-of-29 passing for 182 yards and two TDs in windy conditions at Illinois, adding 10 rushing yards on four carries . . . engineered a quick three-play, 41-yard TD drive in the third quarter for MSU insurance TD, going 3-for-3 on the drive for 41 yards, connecting with Jayden Reed for a 16-yard TD pass play and put MSU ahead, 23-7 . . . was 17-of-30 passing for 215 yards and one TD toss at Michigan, with a 26-yard scoing pass to Keon Coleman in the first quarter, one of five passes of 20-plus yards on the night . . . was 21-of-28 passing for 265 yards with two TDs in Wisconsin game, throwing 27-yard TD pass to Keon Coleman in fourth quarter and a 27-yard strike to Jayden Reed in the end zone in the second OT for the walk-off Victory for MSU . . . also had a season-long 72-yard pass play to Maliq Carr in the third quarter to set up MSU’s second TD of game . . . was 11-of-18 passing for 113 yards with one TD against Ohio State . . . was 27-of-44 passing for 221 yards with one TD, adding five rushes for 14 yards at Maryland . . . was 17-of-24 for 132 yards with two interceptions in Minnesota game . . . opened game at Washington completing first 10 passes of the game, before throwing a ball away for his first incomplete pass . . . . the 10-straight completions was second time in career doing so, also completing 10 straight passes in his first career start at Penn State on Dec. 12, 2020 . . . became the first Spartan QB to open a game with 10 completions in a row since Brian Hoyer vs. UAB on Sept. 1, 2007 . . . finished the Washington game with a career-high 30 completions on 30-for-42 passing for a season-high 323 yards with three TDs, adding 12 yards rushing on 10 carries. . . also had successful two-point conversion passes in the second quarter and fourth quarter of Washington game, part of four total two-point conversion attempts in the game . . . was 18-for-28 for 212 yards in Akron game . . . tied his career high with four touchdown passes in the season-opening win over Western Michigan; completed 12-of-24 passes overall for 233 yards against the Broncos . . . also rushed four times for 22 yards to finish with 255 yards of total offense vs. WMU.
2021 SEASON (REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE): Had a record-setting season in his first year as the starting quarterback, collecting an 11-2 record and leading Michigan State to a No. 8/9 national ranking and a win in the New Year’s Six with a 31-21 victory over No. 12 Pitt in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl . . . set the MSU single-season record for most TD passes with 27, surpassing Kirk Cousins, who had 25 in 2011 . . . also ranked among MSU’s single-season leaders in total offense (third with 3,414 yards), passing yards (third with 3,233), passing yards per game (third with 248.7), passing efficiency (sixth with 148.1 rating), pass completions (tied for sixth with 234) and pass attempts (seventh with 388) . . . was 234-of-388 passing (.603) for 3,233 yards, 27 TDs and 10 interceptions . . . also ran for four touchdowns and had 181 net yards rushing on 82 attempts . . . without sacks, gained 362 yards on 61 carries (5.9 avg.), including 20 for first downs . . . ranked among the Big Ten leaders in passing touchdowns (third with 27), passing yards (fourth with 3,233), passing yards per game (fifth at 248.7), pass completions (fifth with 234), passing efficiency (fifth at 148.1 rating) and completion percentage (seventh at 60.3) . . . also ranked among the FBS Top 25 leaders in passing TDs (18th with 27), passing yards (23rd with 3,233 yards) and passing yards per completion (24th at 13.8) . . . earned honorable mention All-Big Ten accolades by both coaches and media . . . named to Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award and Manning Award Watch Lists . . . collected Academic All-Big Ten accolades for the second year in a row . . . threw for 200-plus yards in eight games and 300-plus yards in three games . . . was one of the most efficient downfield passers in the nation in 2021, ranking tied for sixth in the FBS with 14 TD passes of 20-plus yards . . . had two games with over 70.0 completion percentage, led by career-high 71.4 vs. Youngstown State (9/11) and 71.0 vs. Maryland (11/13) . . . threw three touchdowns in the win over No. 12 Pitt in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl victory (28 yards to Jayden Reed in first quarter; 15 yards to Connor Heyward in fourth quarter; 22 yards to Reed in fourth quarter) to set a school record for the most passing touchdowns in a single season . . . posted career highs in passing yards (354), passing completions (29) and passing attempts (50) against the Panthers . . . the 29 completions were a Spartan single-game bowl record, and the 50 passing attempts tied for the most . . . the 354 passing yards were second most by a Spartan in a bowl game, trailing only Jeff Smoker’s 376 passing yards in the 2001 Silicon Valley Bowl, and the 12th most overall in school history . . . Thorne was 14-of-19 passing for 144 yards in the fourth quarter to spark MSU’s 11-point comeback . . . completed 19-of-30 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns in Penn State game, adding 39 yards rushing on eight carries with one TD, a 1-yard plunge in the third quarter . . . was 14-for-36 for 158 yards and one TD at Ohio State, connecting with Keon Coleman for his first career TD . . . tied career high with four TD passes vs. Maryland (52 yards to Montorie Foster in first quarter; 29 yards to Jayden Reed in first quarter; 2 yards to Connor Heyward in second quarter; 3 yards to Reed in third quarter) . . . was 22-of-31 passing for 287 yards, the second-most passing yards by a Spartan against Maryland (Brian Lewerke with 342 in 2019) . . . was 20-of-30 passing with two TDs at Purdue, connecting with Tre Mosley for both scores . . . also had a career-high trying nine rushing attempts for a career-high 47 yards, including a season-long 32-yard scoring scamper in the third quarter, for second-longest rush of career behind career-long of 38 yards vs. Indiana (11/14/20), and third 30+ yard scamper of career, joining a 31-yarder vs. Ohio State (12/5/20) . . . was 19-for-30 with 196 yards in Michigan game and added two 2-point conversion passes to lead MSU to a 16-point second-half comeback win over the No. 6 Wolverines . . . was 14-for-26 passing for 126 yards with one TD at Indiana, adding first career catch for 12-yards on an acrobatic, highlight-reel catch on the sideline during MSU’s TD drive in third quarter, and also had 10 rushing yards on seven carries . . . threw for 339 yards on 16-of-27 passing for three TDs at Rutgers, as all three TDs were to Jalen Nailor in the first half on big plays of 63, 63 and 65-yards, and added one rush for 9 yards . . . in the Rutgers game, teamed with running back Kenneth Walker III (233 yards rushing) and wide receiver Jalen Nailor (221 yards receiving) to register the first time in Michigan State program history to have individuals with a 300-yard passing game, 200-yard rushing game and 200-yard receiving in the same game, with MSU becoming only the fifth team in FBS history to accomplish that feat, and first since 2008 . . . threw for 327 yards and one TD on 20-of-30 passing in Western Kentucky game, connecting with Jayden Reed on a 46-yard TD in the first quarter, and also scored second rushing TD of the season and third of career on a 12-yard scamper in the second quarter, part of seven rushes 31 rushing yards . . . was 14-of-23 passing for 183 yards and one TD in Nebraska game, throwing first interception on the season in the first quarter, on second attempt of game . . . was named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of Week and Manning Award Quarterback of the Week, along with being recognized by the Davey O’Brien Award for having one of the top eight quarterback performances in the nation in Week 3 for his outing at Miami, becoming just the second Spartan quarterback in school history, joining Connor Cook, to throw for four touchdowns in back-to-back games during MSU’s 38-17 victory at No. 24 Miami . . . after throwing for a career-high four TDs in the Week 2 win over Youngstown State, matched that effort against the Hurricanes by completing 18-of-31 passes for 261 yards and four more touchdowns, while finishing with 4 rushing yards on eight attempts, with a season-long 22-yard scamper, in addition to few bigger than the 1-yard QB plunge on fourth-and-1 at the MIA 40 late in the game to get the first down, then throwing a 39-yard TD pass to Jalen Nailor on the next play to seal the Victory for MSU . . . made first career home start in Spartan Stadium in the Youngstown State game and completed 14-of-20 passes for 273 yards and a career-high four touchdowns, marking first time a Spartan quarterback had thrown four TDs in a game since Brian Lewerke vs. Northwestern in 2017 . . . had an 85-yard pass completion to Jayden Reed in the second quarter and a 75-yard TD pass to Reed on the first offensive play . . . also had 19 yards rushing on three carries (6.3 avg.) with a 10-yard TD in the first quarter, and earned MSU Offensive Co-Player of the Game team award . . . made second career start in the season-opening win at Northwestern, throwing for 185 yards on 15-of-25 passing with one TD, to earn his first win as the Spartans’ starting QB . . . also rushed for 28 yards on five carries, in front of many friends and family from his nearby hometown of Naperville.
2020 SEASON (REDSHIRT FRESHMAN): Played in four games at quarterback, coming off bench in first three against Iowa, Indiana and Ohio State, before making first start of Spartan career in the Penn State game on Dec. 12 . . . was 48-of-85 passing (.565) for 582 yards (145.5 ypg) in four games . . . had 25 rushing attempts for 47 yards (1.9 ypc/11.8 ypg) with one TD . . . Academic All-Big Ten honoree . . . made first career start at Penn State and was 22-of-39 passing for 325 yards and three TDs . . . the 325 yards was not only an MSU record for most passing yards by a Spartan QB in first start, surpassing Ed Smith with 324 in 1976, but also a Spartan freshman single-game record . . . the 325 passing yards were the fourth-most by an MSU quarterback vs. Penn State, and most since Brian Lewerke threw for 400 vs. the Nittany Lions in 2017 . . . threw his first career TD pass with a 45-yard scoring strike to Jalen Nailor in the second quarter, adding a 26-yard strike to Tre’Von Morgan and a 7-yarder to Nailor late in the second quarter . . . topped previous game career-high in the first half alone, as 202 first-half passing yards bettered previous game high of 147 last time out vs. Ohio State in two-and-a-half quarters, coming off the bench partway through the second stanza . . . completed 12 consecutive passes in one stretch at Penn State from the second through third quarters . . . was 16-of-25 passing for 147 yards in Ohio State game, coming off the bench in the second quarter in place of injured starter Rocky Lombardi . . . completed first 11 passes against the Buckeyes, marking the first time an MSU QB had 10 or more consecutive completions since Connor Cook had 11 vs. Illinois on Oct. 26, 2013 . . . was also the first Spartan QB to open with 10 straight completions to begin a game since Brian Hoyer started with 10 vs. UAB on Sept. 1, 2007 . . . also rushed for a career-best nine attempts for 42 yards vs. OSU, including a 31-yard run, which was second-longest of career behind a 38-yard scamper vs. Indiana . . . scored on a 20-yard TD run in the third quarter, which was MSU’s longest rushing TD of the season, and was first TD of Spartan career, either rushing or passing . . . the freshman signal-caller also had a new career-long pass play with a 55-yard pass to Jayden Reed in the third quarter . . . in second collegiate game, completed 10-of-20 passes for 110 yards and one interception vs. No. 10 Indiana, including in his first play of the game in the second quarter, scampered for a 38-yard rush, MSU’s longest rush from scrimmage this season . . . made Spartan debut in game at Iowa and saw action in four snaps, with one pass attempt.
2019 SEASON: Redshirted . . . named Scout Team Offensive Player of the Week vs. Indiana.
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Top-ranked quarterback prospect in the state of Illinois by 247Sports and ESPN.com . . . ranked the No. 16 dual QB in the nation by 247Sports . . . listed among the best pocket passers in the nation by ESPN.com (No. 44) . . . rated one of the best overall players in Illinois by 247Sports (No. 11) and ESPN.com (No. 28) . . . 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 just two seasons at Naperville Central under Coach Mike Stine, became the career leader in completions (342), passing yards (5,367) and touchdowns (65) . . . named the 2018 Illinois Offensive Player of the Year by USA TODAY . . . also named the 2018 Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year and the Naperville Sun Player of the Year . . . received the DuPage Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year Award . . . first-team All-IHSFCA Class 8 selection . . . chosen to USA TODAY’s All-USA Illinois First Team . . . 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 . . . the RedHawks averaged 37 points a game as Thorne accounted for 44 total TDs . . . also played basketball and baseball . . . son of Jeff and Joanna Thorne . . . comes from football bloodlines, as his grandfather, John, coached at Wheaton Central High School and Wheaton-Warrenville South High School before spending 13 seasons at Division III North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, and is in the North Central College Athletics Hall of Fame after transforming the program into a national contender; during John’s tenure, the Cardinals recorded 118 victories, won eight straight College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Championships from 2006 to 2013, and made eight appearances in the NCAA Division III Football Championship . . . his grandfather, Dave Martin, played football at Wisconsin . . . Payton’s father, Jeff, was the offensive coordinator at North Central beginning in 2002, was promoted to assistant head coach in 2010, and took over the North Central program in 2015 following John’s retirement and was equally successful, compiling a 65-10 record in six seasons, including a 46-4 record in College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (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 collegiately as a quarterback at Eastern Illinois and was the offensive coordinator at Western Michigan in 2022 . . . born June 26, 2001 . . . communication major.
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