Hugh Freeze boasts his wide receiver success when discussing new Auburn pass catchers

Heading into his third year, Auburn coach Hugh Freeze has one position group that he feels exceptionally good about. That’s the wide receiver room.

Freeze has worked hard to bring the talent level at receiver up to snuff at Auburn. He knows how vitally important it is.

“I don’t mean for this to sound egotistical in any way, but it’s truth,” Freeze said. “I’ve been at four different universities. At all four we’ve been able to win, have 10-win seasons or more. At every one of them.

“When I look at those, we had receivers that could win one-on-ones and operate in our system, and a quarterback that could get it to them. That, if you look back at those seasons, that was a huge part of it.”

In the five years before Freeze’s arrival, Auburn’s highest ranking for passing offense was 59th. The Tigers have been mostly abysmal in that category in recent years.

Freeze’s goal was to change that. And it’s starting to happen.

“I knew when I got here that that was a priority, is revamping that room and recruiting it,” Freeze said. “Those receiver coaches, along with the rest of the recruiting staff, did a really nice job in Year 1, obviously.”

Auburn added the likes of former five-star-plus wideout Cam Coleman, a guy most of the country was after. In his first year on campus, Coleman caught 37 passes for 598 yards and eight touchdowns. He’ll be counted on to produce even more this fall.

He’ll also have a lot more help. Freeze explained.

“Then Year 2 I think Sam (Turner) was a heck of a pickup out of high school and the portal,” he said. “Obviously Eric (Singleton) and Horatio (Fields) to add to that room. So it is definitely a totally different room than it was when we arrived. Thus the expectations are higher.”

Singleton is coming off a season at Georgia Tech in which he logged 56 catches for 754 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran 21 times for 131 yards and a score. Fields, meanwhile, logged 39 catches for 463 yards and four touchdowns at Wake Forest.

Both have produced at a high level already and both will be counted on to do even more now that Auburn seemingly has its answer at quarterback in Jackson Arnold. Will that be enough to lift Auburn out of the offensive doldrums? We shall see.