The Auburn Tigers really need to step up their game this season. No recent bowl wins and a 5-7 season? That’s not exactly setting the world on fire for Hugh Freeze. But here comes a potential silver lining—their transfer receiver from Georgia Tech. He racked up 1608 yards during his time there and could be the breath of fresh air they desperately need. This one is already turning heads on the practice field. Look, Auburn is desperate for veteran receiving production, the kind you’d see from a guy like KeAndre Lambert-Smith. And this transfer looks like he could be the perfect fit for that role. Well, he’s already generating early hype as a potential top-ten receiver for next season’s NFL draft.

Believe it or not, Auburn hasn’t had a wide receiver picked in the second round of the NFL Draft since Tim Carter back in 2002. That’s a pretty wild drought, right? But Hugh Freeze might just have the right one to change all that in Eric Singleton Jr. This 5’11, 190 lbs freak is a world-class speedster—seriously elite at creating separation, and his route running is getting better all the time. Just look at his track background at Georgia Tech, where he posted a blazing 10.32 in the 100-meter dash! Singleton’s aiming to play up to his early-round NFL draft potential this season within an Auburn offense that seriously reloaded with portal talent over the offseason.

And that’s exactly why The Barn’s host, Kyle Rush, is hyping him up. “Eric Singleton Jr., when he stepped on campus, he was the fastest player on the team. I just don’t know if we’re 100% ready for this as fans; I don’t know we really understand like what type of player we’re getting. Since the portal’s been a thing, we haven’t gotten that electric guy yet….and I think if we can’t make this one work, we just can’t make it work. If you can’t make Eric Singleton Jr. work, you just can’t make it work,” Kyle Rush said.

Eric Singleton Jr. was ranked as the No. 1 WR in the transfer portal, and there’s a reason for it. In his two years with the Yellow Jackets, he has posted 104 receptions for 1,468 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Not just that, he also added 22 carries for 140 yards and a score in Georgia Tech’s run-heavy offense. Kyle Rush also added, “You can put him anywhere in the field; he’s not pigeonholed to anything.” Now, what can he be at Auburn?

“Auburn, I think he’ll probably be your top punt returner. Cam Coleman gets a lot of the love, and he deserves it because he’s your prototype NFL outside wide receiver. But I don’t want to pretend like Cam Coleman is overshadowing Eric Singleton Jr. because that’s definitely not the case. Eric Singleton’s been getting a lot of hype too,” Rush said.

The hype’s getting pretty real as Eric Singleton is already turning heads after spring practice. Even Jason Caldwell of Auburn Undercover feels he fits the bill perfectly. “Auburn had Cam Coleman and Malcolm Simmons back after strong freshman seasons but was looking for another difference-maker at wide receiver,” Caldwell said. “Georgia Tech transfer Eric Singleton lived up to advance billing in the spring and should give the Tigers another legit threat on the outside in Hugh Freeze’s offense.”

Now, with playmakers like Coleman and Simmons alongside him, Singleton should make things a lot easier for their quarterback, Jackson Arnold. On one side, Eric Singleton Jr. is definitely emerging as a game-changer for Hugh Freeze’s offense. On the other hand, Freeze is investing big in this $950K weapon, specifically to give his QB1, Arnold, the support he needs.

Auburn’s QB picture under Hugh Freeze

Now, we all know the past couple of seasons saw the Tigers’ offense largely led by Payton Thorne. He’s since moved on, becoming an undrafted agent in 2025 and signing a deal with the Cincinnati Bengals. After the Tigers went through that rough stretch of 11-14 in the last two seasons, Hugh Freeze finally brought in Jackson Arnold to take charge of the team. And Arnold’s journey wasn’t as straightforward as you might think, though.

Before landing at Auburn, he had a bumpy ride at Oklahoma. He was actually benched during the Vols game last season after struggling with a pair of fumbles and an interception in the first half, getting replaced by Michael Hawkins Jr. But he bounced back, got back into the team about a month later, and finished his season at Oklahoma strong with 1,412 yards, 12 TDs, and just 3 interceptions.

Now, he is a Tiger, and Hugh Freeze is clearly pretty excited about what he saw from Arnold this spring. Addressing Arnold’s potential, Freeze said, “Really excited about Jackson. I thought he and Deuce [Knight] were—we were able to just—we only had those two guys here, so they got all the reps, and I think that was a good thing. And Jackson, obviously, has all the tools to be one of the top quarterbacks in the nation, in my opinion. I think he came out of high school, obviously, as Gatorade Player of the Year.”

Hugh Freeze didn’t hesitate when asked about Auburn’s starting quarterback; in a conversation with Mike Gittens of The War Rapport, Freeze gave Arnold his full endorsement, stating simply, “Yeah, he is.” This declaration officially ended speculation about the Tigers’ QB1 following spring practice. Arnold’s strong showing before a leg injury sidelined him for A-Day clearly left a big impression.

Freeze also had high praise for true freshman Deuce Knight, who is now set as the backup and reportedly carries a $950k NIL valuation. “Deuce Knight is going to be phenomenal. He had a great spring, and it was a joy working with him. He is one of the more accountable freshmen. No excuse making, wants to learn, wants you to coach him, and has a big-time arm and talent.” Knight’s impressive spring performance clearly earned him the trust of Freeze, OC Derrick Nix, and QB coach Kent Austin.

Meanwhile, the Stanford transfer, Ashton Daniels, is in a tough spot. Daniels faces a likely redshirt season unless both QBs ahead of him get injured—which is, let’s face it, a highly improbable event. Coach Freeze’s recent comments effectively signaled that Daniels was removed from Auburn’s 2025 quarterback plans. The timing is terrible; the SEC transfer portal closed on April 25th, preventing him from making an in-conference move for this season. It looks like Daniels will indeed redshirt this fall and likely reassess his options in 2026. Barring a complete quarterback room catastrophe, his immediate Auburn career seems predetermined. So, with Arnold taking the reins and Knight emerging, is this the start of a new era for Auburn’s quarterback room?