Auburn football enters the 2025 season with a handful of promising position groups, but none stand out more than the wide receivers.

It’s arguably Auburn’s most talented group, returning young production and bringing in a pair of proven transfers. The wideouts are part of why head coach Hugh Freeze is confident in transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold after a frustrating season at Oklahoma.

Auburn’s receiver room features nine scholarship players, including seven underclassmen. Here’s what to know about the group heading into the 2025 season.

Players

*Horatio Fields — Senior, Wake Forest transfer

*Eric Singleton Jr. — Junior, Georgia Tech transfer

*Cam Coleman — Sophomore

Malcolm Simmons — Sophomore

Perry Thompson — Sophomore

Bryce Cain — Redshirt freshman

Sam Turner — Freshman

Derick Smith — Freshman

Erick Smith — Freshman

*Indicates Projected starter

What to know

The best way to sort Auburn’s receiver room is by separating the returners and the newcomers. Coleman, Simmons, Thompson and Cain make up the first group and represent the “Freeze Four” from the 2024 signing class.

Simmons is the first player in group that worth mentioning. He was arrested on a charge of domestic assault with strangulation or suffocation on July 16, and an Auburn spokesperson told AL.com that, “We are aware of the situation, are gathering the facts, and will address the situation.”

As of now, Simmons’ status within the program is unchanged, but legal situations like his can be fluid.

Coleman is the star of the returning group, though, earning preseason All-SEC first team honors. He’s coming off a breakout freshman season in 2024 where he caught 37 passes for 598 yards and eight touchdowns.

Those numbers and his versatile skillset make him a potential go-to receiver for Arnold this season. He has the speed to take the top off defenses, but the strength and catch radius to be effective in the redzone too.

Simmons, if his status remains unchanged, is likely the next biggest factor of the returning receivers. He caught 40 passes for 451 yards and three touchdowns as a freshman in 2024, operating primarily as a speedy slot receiver.

He’s a candidate for that role again in 2025, joining Cain as the other returner who fits that archetype. Cain redshirted in 2024, but was another blue-chip recruit out of high school with impressive speed.

Last but not least, Thompson is the final returner who hopes to cement a bigger role in 2025. At 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, he fits a similar profile to Coleman on the outside. His size and strength make him a tough matchup, and he’ll compete for snaps during fall camp.

Singleton is the first name to know among the newcomers. He transferred in from Georgia Tech this offseason and was the top-ranked wide receiver in the portal, according to 247Sports and On3.

Known as one of the fastest players in college football, Singleton can be used both out wide and in the slot, but will likely see more playing time in the slot given Auburn’s personnel.

He caught 56 passes for 754 yards and three touchdowns with the Yellow Jackets in 2024 and was a freshman All-American in 2023.

“He makes defensive backs very uncomfortable,” Freeze said of Singleton during spring practice. “He’s got some straight-lined speed along with some lateral quickness that’s unique and pretty elite. We can use him in a lot of different ways.”

The other experienced ACC transfer to join Singleton is Fields, who’s coming off a productive 2024 season at Wake Forest. He caught 39 passes for 463 yards and four touchdowns with the Demon Deacons last year.

Fields is a big-bodied receiver like Coleman and Thompson, measuring 6-foot-2 and 201 pounds. He’s another threat in the redzone and arguably the best blocker in the receiver corps. For an offense that likes to run screens and short passes for its speedy receivers, that goes a long way.

Turner, Derick Smith and Erick Smith are this season’s group of true freshmen, but only Turner has taken practice snaps so far. He enrolled early and participated during spring ball, becoming one of the spring’s breakout players.

Given his early exposure to the offense and reps already under his belt, Turner probably has the best chance to see early playing time of all the freshman receivers.

“He’s added great depth to us on the outside,” Freeze said during spring practice. “Able to give some breaks to Cam and Perry and Horatio, for sure. For a freshman, he’s sharp. He picks it up.”

Derick and Erick Smith, two brothers from Selma, didn’t arrive on campus until the summer. Derick was the highest-ranked receiver in Auburn’s freshman signing class, earning a four-star rating and being ranked as the third-best athlete in the country, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m