Auburn first-year head coach Hugh Freeze hasn’t seen junior Payton Thorne in action since the former Michigan State quarterback transferred to The Plains in the spring.

“Can’t watch him throw,” Freeze told local media members before taking the podium at SEC Media Days in Nashville on Tuesday. “But what I’ve been impressed with is his attention to detail, his desire to learn the system, to be a leader, to have position group meetings… He has those leadership qualities.”

Shortly after arriving in Auburn, Thorne asked Freeze if someone could get him pictures and names of everyone who worked in the Auburn football building.

“He’s just got some intrinsic things about him that you really like and I know is going to enhance that room,” Freeze said. “But like I said, I haven’t coached him a single practice yet. It’d be unfair for me to even act like I knew where everyone stood with that. But I absolutely love what I’ve seen from him in the leadership world.”

Thorne, who is slated to compete against returner Robby Ashford for the starting job this fall, started 26 games for the Spartans and threw 49 touchdown passes over the course of three seasons.

With fall camp quickly approaching, Freeze said he told offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery and special assistant to the head coach Kent Austin to present him with a plan next week.

“Realistically, you can’t get four kids reps in camp,” Freeze said, adding that he wanted the battle to be narrowed down to a just pair of quarterbacks after the first 10 days of camp.