While the Auburn Tigers have struggled to add big wins to their resume, there have been plenty of young stars who have made a positive impact so far this season.
Starting at wide receiver, freshman Cam Coleman has nine receptions for 212 yards, adding on one touchdown. Freshman Malcolm Simmons has compiled three total touchdowns - two receiving and one defensive - to go along with 14 receptions and 214 yards. Finally, freshman Perry Thompson has totaled four receptions going for 123 yards and a touchdown.
On the defense, freshman Demarcus Riddick had his breakout game against the Oklahoma Sooners. Riddick led the team with six tackles while also adding a sack to his freshman campaign.
Freshman safety Kaleb Harris has also made a strong impact this season in the secondary, with 13 total tackles and two pass breakups.
On special teams, freshman kicker Towns McGough has been the starter through all five games. McGough stepped in for sophomore Alex McPherson who has dealt with injury.
As the Tigers' season continues to progress, these young stars hope to continue their early season success as they head to Athens for their first road trip with No. 5 Georgia.
As Auburn prepares for its first road battle, several veteran players gave their thoughts on the impact that the freshmen have had so far this season.
Payton Thorne on the impact of the freshmen receivers:
“Good impact. Obviously, I think three of them have gotten in the end zone, and they've all been doing good things at practice throughout the year,” Thorne said. “And they got a good amount of catches under their belt and have been able to make some plays for us.”
Zykeivous Walker on the young players making an impact on defense:
“One of the ones that I really like is Demarcus (Riddick),” Walker said. “I think Demarcus had his best game last week, and you know, Amaris (Williams) getting a couple reps in there. You know, the young guys gonna be pretty special here. So, you know, I'm very proud of them.”
Walker's advice for players struggling to get on the field:
“You know, everybody's journey to success is different,” Walker said. “So, you know, just keep on putting the work in and just stay positive, and just know that at the end of the day your time will come.”
Robert Lewis on Thompson’s progression throughout the season:
“You know, just him being more confident in his ability, taking coaching points from coach, and then him just playing fast,” Lewis said. “You know him as big as he is, his ability to block as well as he is, just continue to go out there and do what he's supposed to do. He'll find a lot more playing time.”
Luke Deal's advice for the freshmen playing in their first road game
“The key is not being able to flush it, and not having it snowball,” Deal said. “Because sometimes you see when we're playing in Jordan-Hare, opposing teams, they'll get a false start, and the next play the guard will step the wrong way. It kind of just piggybacks off each other. So I think when a mistake is made, just don't blink, play the next play, and just kind of keep poised through those mistakes.”
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Marshall is a junior majoring in Journalism. He joined the Plainsman in the fall of 2024.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @marshalldow02
