Auburn wide receivers shined in the Tigers’ annual spring A-Day on Saturday, consisting of an open practice followed by an autograph session on Pat Dye Field.
The receiving room has been relatively weak in recent years – more so two years ago than last fall – but head coach Hugh Freeze and company have completely flipped it.
Fans and coaches can only learn so much from a practice, but the receiving corp seems to be much more talented and promising ahead of Freeze’s third season on the Plains.
“You have to have top-10 recruiting classes in this league to form an elite roster. I felt like we could do that at Auburn, and we have in the two recruiting classes we’ve had, and the roster, therefore, looks different,” Freeze said on the roster differential compared to two springs ago. “I do feel optimistic with the two that we’ve had, we can compete – should compete – this year. So it does look different. Let’s go line up and see what we got.”
Sophomore receiver Perry Thompson caught the eye of many in today’s practice, hauling in a few challenging catches against various talented defenders. Thompson showed off his height and speed in a variety of ways throughout multiple drills, including deep shots to the endzone and short curl routes.
One of those was a diving catch in the back of the end zone while matched up with Kayin Lee, arguably Auburn’s best cornerback, resulting in a audible gasp from a few thousand fans scattered around Jordan-Hare.
Somewhat overshadowed by Cam Coleman, Keandre Lambert-Smith and Malcolm Simmons last season, the Foley, AL native didn’t see the field as much as expected. Thompson talked about it during this week’s media availability, mentioning how he has taken steps to mature and gain more familiarity with the system.
“Perry’s a hard one to read,” Freeze said of Thompson's growth this spring. “We’ve had several talks… There’s a process for most people in this league. And, man, just be patient with the process, and I think he’s starting to see the success that comes with that. As long as he continues to be consistent with his efforts, he’s talented enough to be a real good weapon for us. And I think you saw that today in some of the contested catches he made.”
True freshman Sam Turner is another receiver to watch out for. The former three-star Georgia Tech commit flipped to Auburn in October and has been reported to be one of the hottest players coming out of spring practice.
“I bring a deep threat, a guy that can get open, and just a physical receiver,” Turner said on what he brings on the field. “A guy that is just going to go hard every single play.”
Turner has been often highlighted in videos of practice on Auburn social media platforms the past couple of weeks, stirring excitement within the fanbase about the young freshman.
Despite being under the radar initially, Turner says being a part of a room with depth like Auburn has is beneficial.
“I’m a very confident guy and I feel like being in this room can only help me,” Turner said. “Cam goes first round, [Eric Singleton Jr.] goes first round… that just brings eyes to the program. So if I do good, I’ll be standing right there.
“I fit in amazing. I feel like we are all elite guys but have different aspects of the game and I feel like it all meshes together,” Turner added.
On the other hand, Wake Forest transfer Horatio Fields is the only senior receiver on Auburn’s roster, recording 463 yards and four touchdowns as a Demon Deacon last season.
Impressed by his skill and productivity this far, Freeze said last week that they “hit a home run” adding Fields to the group. In addition to his productivity on the field, Fields also seems to take on the veteran role in the locker room.
“I’ll tell you, he’s new, but Horatio Fields has got a voice that people follow, so it’s good to see that,” Freeze said while naming players who have served as vocal leaders thus far.
Fields says the competition in the room is healthy, which ultimately helps the team as a whole.
“We all know that we’re working towards a common goal and that allows us to lean on each other,” Fields said of the other receivers. “There’s no hate or animosity between us. We work with each other, we learn from each other, and that’s how we grow.”
With an entirely new quarterback room in Jackson Arnold and Deuce Knight, the Tigers are looking to take big steps offensively, and the receivers seem to believe in the vision.
“Words really can’t explain it,” Turner said regarding Auburn’s talent at the receiver position. “You’ve just got to see it. We’re just different. Like Deuce [Knight] said the other day, we’re just different.”
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Gunner is a freshman majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in the fall 2024.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @norene_gunner10
