Payton Thorne is a 2-year Dual-Threat QB for Michigan State. Payton's 2021 season ranks in the 70th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 437 plays — a average rate for the QB.
A genuine rushing threat who stresses defenses horizontally. Extends plays with legs and forces extra gap assignments.
Meaningful starter. Local collective + position-group deals.
Tier is a model estimate based on position, school brand, performance rank, and usage — not a reported deal. NIL deals are private. For a real market valuation, see On3's NIL profile, which factors in social following and actual deal tracking.
Players from 2014–2024 matched on EPA efficiency, play volume, and adjusted value tier — not just one metric.
| Player | Team | Yr | Plays | WEPA/play | Line val | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stetson Bennett | Georgia | 2022 | 509 | 0.635 | 12.4 | 323.0 |
| Tanner Mordecai | SMU | 2021 | 510 | 0.630 | 14.0 | 321.5 |
| Ryan Higgins | Louisiana Tech | 2016 | 571 | 0.586 | 13.7 | 334.6 |
| Kyle McCord | Syracuse | 2024 | 632 | 0.509 | 12.1 | 321.4 |
| Malik Cunningham | Louisville | 2021 | 502 | 0.681 | 14.7 | 341.6 |
Comps are statistical — efficiency, volume, and value tier all factor in. Style and conference context differ.
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Opp SP+ | C/ATT | Pass Yds | Pass TD | INT | QBR | Rush Yds | Rush TD | EPA/play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | @Northwestern | W38-21 | -11.1 | 15/25 | 185 | 1 | 0 | 76.2 | 28 | 0 | 0.38 |
| 2 | vsYoungstown State | W42-14 | — | 15/21 | 280 | 4 | 0 | 88.4 | 19 | 1 | 0.87 |
| 3 | @Miami | W38-17 | 10.8 |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
| Season | Team | Line value | WEPA/play | YoY Δ | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Michigan State | 9.4 | 0.566 | — | 261.0 |
| 2024 | Auburn | 5.9 | 0.429 | -0.14 | 179.4 |
Chart shows per-game EPA (bars) and rolling 5-game average (line). Season breaks marked with dashed lines. Line value = est. points over replacement per game.
C/ATT 29/50 · Pass Yds 354 · Pass TD 3 · INT 1
| 18/31 |
| 261 |
| 4 |
| 0 |
| 88.0 |
| 4 |
| 0 |
| 0.45 |
| 4 | vsNebraska | W23-20 | 10.3 | 14/23 | 183 | 1 | 1 | 39.9 | -5 | 0 | 0.27 |
| 5 | vsWestern Kentucky | W48-31 | 13.3 | 20/30 | 327 | 1 | 0 | 91.1 | 31 | 1 | 0.55 |
| 6 | @Rutgers | W31-13 | -3.0 | 16/27 | 339 | 3 | 1 | 94.4 | 9 | 0 | 0.72 |
| 7 | @Indiana | W20-15 | -7.8 | 14/26 | 126 | 1 | 2 | 20.7 | 10 | 0 | 0.26 |
| 9 | vsMichigan | W37-33 | 23.4 | 19/30 | 196 | 0 | 2 | 48.4 | 0 | 0 | 0.26 |
| 10 | @Purdue | L29-40 | 10.3 | 20/30 | 276 | 2 | 1 | 91.1 | 47 | 1 | 0.35 |
| 11 | vsMaryland | W40-21 | 6.2 | 22/30 | 287 | 4 | 1 | 90.5 | 4 | 0 | 0.48 |
| 12 | @Ohio State | L7-56 | 29.3 | 14/36 | 158 | 1 | 0 | 26.3 | -9 | 0 | -0.07 |
| 13 | vsPenn State | W30-27 | 14.3 | 19/30 | 268 | 2 | 1 | 94.9 | 39 | 1 | 0.82 |
| 1 | vsPittsburgh | W31-21 | 17.6 | 29/50 | 354 | 3 | 1 | 78.3 | 4 | 0 | 0.28 |