5 things we learned about Auburn football during spring practice
Spring practice is starting to feel less and less significant in college football.
Many players don’t participate, and the traditional spring game is starting to go away for most programs. Auburn is no different, as this year’s A-Day was an open practice rather than a game, and starters such as Keldric Faulk, Connor Lew, Xavier Chaplin and others all didn’t participate.
Hugh Freeze has gone as far as suggesting that college football should eliminate spring ball, instead opting for an NFL-like OTA format in June.
Regardless, Auburn recently finished practicing for the spring, and while a number of players sat out, the practices were an opportunity for other players to shine, especially those who are new to the program.
Here’s what we learned about Auburn during the spring, based on what we could observe at practice.
The wide receiver core can be elite
Auburn has been known for producing NFL talent at multiple positions over the years. Running back and defensive line are the first ones that come to mind, but wide receiver historically hasn’t been one.
The program has only ever had two 1,000-yard receivers, and neither of those seasons were this century. However, there are plenty of candidates on the current team to become the third.
Auburn added to an already promising group by signing Eric Singleton Jr. and Horatio Fields out of the transfer portal. Both players had big seasons in the ACC in 2024, and Singleton was ranked as the top receiver in the portal, according to On3 and 247Sports.
Fields didn’t arrive with as much hype, but Freeze was complimentary of him during spring ball, saying they “hit a home run” by getting him out of the portal. His size stands out the most, measuring 6-foot-2 and 201 pounds playing on the opposite side of Cam Coleman.
“I love long receivers. Always have,” Freeze said during the second week of spring practice. “I think now we’ve got some of those that fit that mold. And Horatio certainly does. He’s stood out.”
Arguably the biggest story of the room during spring ball, though, was true freshman Sam Turner. Rated as a three-star prospect out of high school, Turner more than looked the part throughout spring.
He seemed physically mature for a freshman and made a number of big catches in one-on-one coverage throughout the practices that media could watch.
The new additions add to a young core that includes former blue-chip recruits like Coleman, Malcolm Simmons, Perry Thompson and Bryce Cain.
The young defensive backs seem ready
Auburn’s defense in 2024 was young, but solid. A lot of those talented freshmen were concentrated in the secondary, with players like Kaleb Harris, Jay Crawford and Sylvester Smith all having big seasons.
Those three returned, and the newest batch of freshmen already seemed to make an impact during spring ball.
One name that kept popping up whenever players or coaches were asked about young standouts on defense was AnQuon Fegans. The true freshman out of in-state powerhouse Thompson High School was a four-star prospect and flashed great ball skills.
He played on both sides of the ball at Thompson, and he seemed to grab an interception during just about every practice media was able to view this spring.
Fegans and fellow freshman Eric Winters seemed to create roles for themselves during spring practice, and nothing was more evident of that than older safeties CJ Johnson and Terrance Love both entering the transfer portal after A-Day.
At corner, Blake Woodby is another player to keep an eye on when fall camp rolls around. It will be hard for any freshmen to getting starting snaps at corner with Crawford, Kayin Lee, Raion Strader and Champ Anthony fighting for those spots, but Woodby flashed solid coverage skills against Auburn’s talented receivers.
The front seven might not be complete
Auburn likely won’t bring in as many players during the spring portal window as it did in the fall, but the two position groups to watch are defensive line and linebacker.
When asked after A-Day where Auburn would look in the portal, Freeze mentioned the defensive line first and said they could “probably” use an experienced linebacker to supplement the young core.
The Tigers used a deep rotation on the interior defensive line last season, at times rotating up to six different players. At the moment, Auburn barely has the numbers to do that again, and the group is much younger, with four true freshmen coming in.
The staff seems to be high on young players like Jourdin Crawford and Malik Autry, but there’s no substitute for experience and depth up front in the Southeastern Conference.
At linebacker, Auburn doesn’t have much proven production. Demarcus Riddick is the most notable returner, but the group lost four seniors from last season.
Robert Woodyard Jr. was the most consistent first team linebacker during spring ball, but 2025 would be his first season as a starter. After Woodyard and Riddick, there’s even more inexperience. Auburn brought in LSU transfer Xavier Atkins during the winter, but he didn’t see the field much during his one season in Baton Rouge.
True freshmen Elijah Melendez and Bryce Deas both showed some flashes during the spring, but either middle linebacker spot is a lot to handle for a freshman right away.
The staff trusts Jackson Arnold
The quarterback of any team naturally gets more attention than anyone else, but that’s especially true at Auburn this upcoming season.
Arnold will likely be the starter to replace Payton Thorne after Thorne’s two seasons on the Plains could best be described as inconsistent. Arnold himself had an up and down season at Oklahoma last year, but Freeze has been adamant throughout the spring that the former five-star recruit just needed a reset.
“There’s a reason he was Gatorade Player of the Year coming out of high school,” Freeze said after the first day of spring practice. “I think he needed a (restart) to regain some confidence. I think he’s doing that at a fast, fast pace.”
The other piece of evidence that shows the staff’s confidence in him is how the reps were distributed during spring practice.
Arnold and true freshman Deuce Knight were the only two scholarship quarterbacks participating, but the first team reps always belonged to Arnold. That’s to be expected when there’s a freshman involved, but it shows where the competition stands.
Stanford transfer Ashton Daniels will arrive on campus in the summer, but missing spring puts him well behind Arnold in any kind of competition for the starting job once the season starts.
The kicking game is in a better place
Kicking was a disaster at times for Auburn last season. The team went a combined 12-for-22 on field goals, with Towns McGough, Alex McPherson and Ian Vachon all attempting at least one.
McGough began the season as the starter with McPherson forced to miss 11 out of 12 games with a gastrointestinal illness, but McGough never found a rhythm. He finished the year 5-for-12 on field goals, eventually getting benched for Birmingham Southern transfer Ian Vachon.
Not having McPherson was root of the problem, as he was perfect on field goals in 2023. In 2025, McPherson is expected to be back after having surgery, already kicking during spring ball.
McGough also returns and Auburn added Southern Miss transfer Connor Gibbs, who made 10 of his 13 field goal attempts last season. Vachon entered the transfer portal following spring practice, narrowing the competition, but there are still multiple capable legs in the room.
If McPherson is back and at 100%, that could be a quick fix to last year’s problems. If he’s not, adding someone like Gibbs prevents Auburn from having to rely on a true freshman if the starter goes down.
While McGough has shown that he has plenty of leg strength, banking on a true freshman to kick in pressure situations right away was a big ask last season. That’s something Auburn will avoid in 2025.
Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at prauterkus@al.com