Excitement is returning to Auburn

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By Mark Pszonak

It’s never easy being a program in the same state as a national power, which has defined Auburn’s existence for most of the last decade. As Alabama has rolled from one elite season to another, the Tigers have failed to find much of an identity. However, behind a quartet of true freshman wide receivers, excitement is starting to build in Auburn.

Hype about the four freshmen has been building throughout the off-season, highlighted by Cam Coleman , a five-star in-state recruit. While he has received the most attention, Perry Thompson , Malcolm Simmons and Bryce Cain have also impressed since their arrival on campus.

Having four exciting true freshman wide receivers would be exciting for any program, but for Auburn this is entirely outside what Tigers’ fans are used to. Since the 2011 season Auburn has only had three receivers finish a season with more than 50 receptions, with Ryan Davis doing it twice. Things were especially difficult during the last two seasons when the leading receivers were a running back (2022, Tank Bigsby with 30) and a tight end (2023, Rivaldo Fairweather with 38).

With dynamic wide receiver play having become an oddity at Auburn, its understandable why Tigers’ fans were excited when the quartet of freshmen totaled nine receptions for 268 yards and three touchdowns during the season opening 73-3 victory over Alabama A&M. Yes, Alabama A&M is a bad FCS program, but after hearing the hype surrounding the quartet for months, seeing it on the field made it real.

So, what is next? That will likely depend on quarterback Payton Thorne , who transferred in from Michigan State prior to the 2023 season. His first season with the Tigers was somewhat pedestrian, with 1,755 yards, 16 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 61.1% completion percentage, which created more questions than answers leading up to 2024. But as mentioned above, his leading target last season was a tight end, Rivaldo Fairweather, so will this influx of explosive young talent lead him to a more dynamic season?

Just looking at the small sample size against Alabama A&M, there are positives (322 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT), but a negative that is similar to last season. Having completed only 13 of 21 passes, it resulted in an almost identical completion percentage from 2023.

A better measuring stick game comes this Saturday against Cal, which the Tigers beat last year, but only 14-10. Against the Golden Bears, Thorne completed 9 of 14 passes for 94 yards. All eyes will be on Thorne to see if he can utilize his new young weapons, along with transfer WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith , to continue to build the excitement at Auburn. With three consecutive games coming up against Oklahoma, Georgia and Missouri starting in late September, Coach Hugh Freeze and the Tigers must revitalize the offense quickly if they hope to keep the excitement flowing throughout 2024.