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The Auburn Tigers are going through roster turnover entering year three of the Hugh Freeze era. One of the most significant changes was at quarterback, with Payton Thorne heading to the NFL and former Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold transferring in. However, Auburn also added a top player at the receiver position in former Georgia Tech wideout Eric Singleton Jr. Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon predicted Singleton would be one of the top receivers in college football next season. Singleton accounted for 1,468 receiving yards and nine touchdowns from 2023-24 with Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech had 21 players enter the transfer portal after a 7-6 season.
Singleton was one of the top players in the transfer portal this offseason. According to the On3 Transfer Portal Industry Rankings, he ranked third overall and was the best wide receiver in the portal.
Outside of Singleton, Auburn has added receiving talent like wideout Horatio Fields (Wake Forest) and tight end Preston Howard (Maryland). The program lost receivers Caleb Burton, Sam Jackson and Camden Brown to the portal this offseason. Penn State transfer KeAndre Lambert-Smith has also left to head to the NFL. Lambert-Smith led Auburn this season with 981 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. The Tigers are coming off a disappointing 5-7 season under Freeze after making the Music City Bowl in 2023. Auburn needed to win the “Iron Bowl” against Alabama to become bowl-eligible, but it fell short, losing 28-14.
It will be interesting to see how Singleton pairs up with returning talent from the 2024 class, such as Cam Coleman, Malcolm Simmons and Perry Thompson. Coleman was the prized jewel of Auburn’s 2024 class as a former five-star prospect. Thompson and Simmons were also solid recruits as former four-star prospects. Coleman finished second for Auburn in receiving with 598 yards and eight touchdowns. Simmons was third on the team with 451 receiving yards, while Thompson accounted for 126 yards. Auburn kicks off the 2025 season against Baylor on Aug. 30.
