Auburn landed a commitment from wide receiver Eric Singleton, the No. 1 receiver and No. 3 overall player in the 247Sports Transfer Rankings. With his addition, the Tigers have the nation's No. 4 transfer class with 15 commits.
The Tigers have cleaned up in the transfer portal heading into a pivotal third season for coach Hugh Freeze, but Singleton is the biggest prize of the group. In two seasons at Georgia Tech, Singleton posted 104 catches for 1,468 yards and nine touchdowns. Singleton had eight catches for 86 yards and a touchdown in the eight-overtime thriller against Georgia.
Singleton is the sixth blue-chip transfer in Auburn's recruiting class and fourth rated in the top 50. He joins a talented receiver room led by superstar freshman Cam Coleman (37 catches for 598 yards, 8 TDs), but that needs to be more consistent to reach the next level. The Tigers also added Wake Forest receiver transfer Horatio Fields, who posted 39 catches for 463 yards and four touchdowns for the Demon Deacons.
In addition to wide receiver, Auburn has reeled in serious talent along the offensive line. USC tackle Mason Murphy and Virginia Tech tackle Xavier Chaplin were key starters for their programs and both rank among the top 50 recruits and top five tackles in the transfer class.
The Tigers are fresh off a 5-7 season and have posted four consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 1950. Auburn coach Hugh Freeze in 11-14 in two seasons, the most losses in a two-year stretch for Freeze since he became an FBS head coach in 2011.
Fixing the offense
Despite being led by the offensive-minded Freeze, the Tigers have been wildly inconsistent on that side of the ball. Auburn ranked No. 70 in scoring offense and among the worst in turnover margin as quarterback Payton Thorne was often left exposed to make plays on his own. The only power-conference teams to rank worse were Arkansas, Florida State and Purdue.
In Singleton, Auburn lands a safety blanket. Singleton proved an expert in finding space and posted at least five catches in eight games this season. He lined up both at slot and outside, making him a natural complement. Between Singleton, Fields and former Maryland tight end Preston Howard, the Tigers will have more weapons with which to work.
Quarterback questions remain
Freeze similarly attacked recruiting to attract pass-catchers last season. Auburn landed top-50 national recruits in Coleman and Perry Thompson, and added Penn State transfer KeAndre Lambert-Smith among three transfers. Smith and Coleman were major contributors, but the unit was still inconsistent.
That leaves a giant hole at the quarterback position. Thorne took a step in 2024, but his nine interceptions left much to be desired. All four quarterbacks on the roster are now leaving the program, leaving Freeze left picking up the pieces. Transfers Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma) and Ashton Daniels (Stanford) both started for their respective programs and should compete for the job. Top247 quarterback Deuce Knight presents major upside after flipping from Notre Dame in October.
Ultimately, none of the receiver additions mean much if Freeze can't figure out the quarterback position. If it fails again, Auburn will have a coaching search next December.