In one respect, it was a relief for Payton Thorne to finally have the weeks-long quarterback competition and the months of discussion come to a close. It allows him to focus on Auburn’s season and to know where he’s lining up every day without thoughts of the quarterback rotation Auburn had been using.

But it doesn’t mean Thorne is relaxing, either.

“I’m focused on playing well for our team to win games,” Thorne said. “I’m not trying to play well to keep my job. If you’re looking at it like that, it’s like, why are you playing? You’re not playing just to keep your job. You play to win.”

The competition for the starting spot between Thorne, Robby Ashford and Holden Geriner brought together a transfer from Michigan State who had already started 29 games and didn’t arrive on campus until after spring practices, Auburn’s incumbent starter and a talented redshirt freshman who played briefly in 2022.

Thorne generally appeared as the leader throughout fall camp, though his struggles in Auburn’s first scrimmage seemed to open the door to Ashford and Geriner. Thorne ultimately sealed the starting spot by proving to be the best leader of the trio, and while maybe not the most talented, he was the most reliable.

But that didn’t mean a battle that caused internal divides, Thorne said.

“I don’t think it was anything that was toxic like sometimes quarterback competitions can be,” Thorne said. “I have a lot of respect for Robby. We’re still obviously talking and everything is still good. But it was a good competition.”

The relationship between the two matters to head coach Hugh Freeze because in his eyes, while Thorne may be the starter now, that isn’t cemented anywhere.

In the days after Freeze announced Thorne would be Auburn’s starting quarterback last week, he said Ashford had his best three practices in a row of the preseason.

Freeze said Ashford is going to push Thorne is he keeps practicing like that. And Thorne is going to have a role on the offense too. Freeze has called Ashford the most talented athlete he’s worked with at the quarterback position.

“I’ve said: Robby, if he handles things the right way, he has to get on that field some, he’s just different,” Freeze said. “If he continues to play like this, Payton’s going to have to play really well.”

It’s not exactly clear what Ashford’s role will look like on the offense. While starting for Auburn last season, Ashford was dynamic as a runner. But Freeze and offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery won’t want inserting Ashford on the field to signify to everyone in the stadium that Auburn is going to run the ball on that play.

Thorne said any conversation about Ashford’s role is something he is leaving to the coaches. Freeze said “the game dictates a lot of that,” after Auburn’s second scrimmage.

But that all leads to the question of if Thorne is looking over his shoulder.

“Yeah, I don’t think that matters, personally, because you’re already thinking that yourself,” Thorne said when asked if Ashford would push him. “It’s not like you get the job and you’re like, ‘Whew, now I can relax and do nothing.’”

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at [email protected]