Bryce Cain – Syndication Server

Where does Auburn land in CBS Sports’ post-spring SEC power rankings?

Will Backus of CBS Sports says that there is one giant question facing Auburn heading into the summer session.

A-Day provided a disappointing ending to Auburn’s spring practice session as the offense failed to score more than one touchdown in the game.

The touchdown, however, was exciting. Quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] connected with freshman wide receiver [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] for a 34-yard score in the 4th quarter, which could be seen as foreshadowing for what could be the 1-2 punch on Auburn’s offense this season.

Still, Auburn’s offense has work to do in order to find success in 2024. Following the spring session, CBS Sports’ Will Backus revealed his post-spring SEC rankings, where he placed Auburn at No. 12. Backus says that Auburn has the potential to rise, but Thorne holds the key to overall success.

Hugh Freeze has spent a lot of time and effort upgrading his team around the quarterback. Now it’s up to Payton Thorne to take that next step. The former Michigan State transfer failed to impress in his first season on The Plains. Whether that was due to a lack of talent to spread the ball to — no longer an issue now that former five stars like WR Cam Coleman are on the team — or Thorne’s own limitations, he has to be a whole lot better if the Tigers want to avoid embarrassments like losing to New Mexico State.

In addition to Coleman, Auburn has added three other highly touted freshman wide receivers [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Bryce Cain[/autotag], and [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag] to its roster. [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag] also provide the room with experience from the transfer portal. Expect Thorne to take a step forward this season and to play a major role in Auburn moving up CBS Sports’ rankings once the season gets underway.

Hugh Freeze: ‘I believe in our quarterback room’

Auburn’s head coach believes that he has the offensive pieces to make Payton Thorne and all Auburn quarterbacks successful.

Auburn football handled several needs this offseason, especially at wide receiver.

Following the additions of [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Bryce Cain[/autotag], and [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag] from high school and [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag] from the transfer portal, Auburn fans and media members alike began to wonder if Auburn’s quarterback room would allow the new receivers to reach their full potential.

Hugh Freeze pondered that question also. When weighing the options, he decided to subscribe to the “bloom where you are planted” method and develop the stable of quarterbacks that are already on the roster. In a recent interview with Jox 94.5’s McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, Freeze broke down his thought process when deciding to develop or go to the transfer portal this offseason.

“The options that you’re presented with: develop Payton (Thorne), develop Holden (Geriner), develop Hank (Brown), develop Walker (White), or go spend a million dollars on this guy, I just couldn’t bring myself to doing that, because I wanted to put all the pieces together,” Freeze said.

Following A-Day, Freeze made it apparent that Thorne will get the first nod at the position this season. Following a disappointing season in which he passed for 1,755 yards and 16 touchdowns with 10 interceptions, Freeze believes that the recent receiver additions will boost his production, citing his Michigan State targets Keon Coleman and Jalen Nailor as examples.

“I’ve watched (Thorne’s) Michigan State stuff 1,000 times, he had two NFL receivers and he was pretty danged good,” Freeze said. “There’s a lot of things that should be 50-50 balls and you’ve got to have a guy that can do that. I think Dre Lambert, he’s a 50-50 pass-catcher. And obviously, we’re excited about the ones we signed.”

Outside of receivers, Freeze says that newly-appointed quarterbacks coach [autotag]Kent Austin[/autotag] will get Thorne, and every Auburn quarterback, to the right level.

“I believe in our quarterback room. I believe in Kent Austin,” Freeze said. “I believe if you have the right pieces around Payton that we can have success. I think you saw some glimpses of that, and I don’t think we had a total package around him really.”

In three seasons at Michigan State, Thorne passed for 6,501 yards and 49 touchdowns. In 2022, Thorne passed for 3,240 yards and 27 touchdowns with Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jalen Nailor as his top targets. It will be interesting to see how much of a step forward Thorne takes with a revamped wide-receiving corps.

Auburn football’s spring transfer portal haul receives praise from CBS Sports

CBS Sports’ Clint Brewster is impressed with Auburn’s ability to fill key needs within the transfer portal this spring.

Auburn football quickly assessed its needs following the spring practice session by adding four key players to its roster.

On offense, the Tigers added another experienced receiver in [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] from Penn State to go along with Georgia State transfer [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag] and several key freshmen such as [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] and [autotag]Bryce Cain[/autotag].

Defensively, Auburn filled its front need with three defensive linemen: [autotag]Philip Blidi[/autotag], [autotag]Keyron Crawford[/autotag], and [autotag]Isaiah Raikes[/autotag]. Auburn added several defensive backs, wide receivers, and offensive linemen during the winter window in hopes of enhancing its six-win campaign from last season.

Following the closure of the spring transfer portal window on April 30, Clint Brewster of CBS Sports graded several top programs’ transfer portal moves. The Tigers’ ability to fill important needs impressed Brewster, who placed the Tigers at No. 2 with a B- grade.

The Tigers addressed the defensive line in the transfer portal with Philip Blidi (No. 291) and Isaiah Raikes (No. 679). Their rankings won’t “wow” you but they’re high three-star guys who project as solid contributors. Auburn also added a deep threat on the offensive side with receiver Keandre Lambert-Smith (No. 68), who had 12 plays of 15 yards or more last season at Penn State. At offensive tackle, Percy Lewis (No. 194) could be a starter after a strong spring.

Alabama was the lone program to top Auburn in Brewster’s rankings. Florida, Florida State, and LSU join Auburn by rounding out the top five.

Auburn reaches out to Arizona State transfer WR Elijhah Badger

Badger hauled in 141 catches for 1,640 yards and 10 touchdowns in four seasons at Arizona State.

Auburn football has enhanced its wide receiver room more than any position group this offseason. However, following the departure of Koy Moore to the transfer portal, [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and his staff are looking to add one more to the rotation.

According to a report by On3, former Arizona State wide receiver [autotag]Elijhah Badger[/autotag] has heard from over 20 programs since entering the transfer portal on April 20 including Auburn. Auburn is one of six SEC programs that have expressed interest in Badger including Florida, Texas A&M, and Arkansas.

Badger was a highly-touted recruit from Folsom High School in Sacramento, California. He was a four-star athlete ranked No. 6 in the nation and was the No. 14 overall product from California from the 2020 recruiting cycle.

His play at Arizona State was indicative of his recruiting rankings as he hauled in 142 catches for 1,640 yards and 10 touchdowns in four seasons in Tempe. He was the Sun Devils leading receiver in both 2022 and 2023, where he combined to catch 135 passes for 1,579 yards and 10 scores. The 2022 season was his best to-date where he reached career-bests in receptions (70), yards (866), and touchdowns (7).

Auburn will have plenty of weapons in its receiving room this season. The Tigers’ leading receiver from last season, [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag], returns while former Penn State stand out [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] joins the roster from the transfer portal. Adding a receiver such as Badger would bring more experience to the roster, which will be a great development tool for freshmen receivers [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag], and [autotag]Bryce Cain[/autotag].

Former Arizona State WR Elijhah Badger has heard from these 2️⃣0️⃣ Schools since entering the Transfer Portal, he tells @on3sports

The 6’2 190 WR totaled 142 receptions for 1,640 Yards, & 10 TDs in his time at ASU

Is the Top Available WR in the Portal (per On3 Industry)… pic.twitter.com/Q5FEMBioxT

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) May 4, 2024

Former Auburn receiver Jay Fair transfers to USC

Auburn Football’s most productive receiver from a season ago has taken his talents to the West Coast, where he will play for the USC Trojans in 2024.

While Jay Fair is coming off an impressive season in which he led all Auburn wide receivers with 31 receptions, the junior’s role on the depth chart was ambiguous at best with freshmen talent such as [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Bryce Cain[/autotag], and [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag] joining highly touted transfer [autotag]Keandre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] on the Plains next season.

The former three-star recruit heads to USC with a much more direct route to playing time with the two most productive Trojan wideouts from a season ago, Brendan Rice and Tahj Washington, turning pro after being selected in the NFL Draft.

Fair’s departure ultimately clears up Auburn’s 2024 receiving room enough for coach Hugh Freeze to get a good idea on what it will look like heading into the fall.

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Jay Fair becomes second Tiger to enter transfer portal

Fair logged 34 catches for 358 yards and two touchdowns in two seasons at Auburn.

The spring transfer portal window has been relatively quiet for Auburn, as just two players have declared their intention to depart from the program.

Joining defensive lineman [autotag]Brenton Williams[/autotag], wide receiver [autotag]Jay Fair[/autotag] has also elected to dip into the transfer portal after spending two seasons on the Plains.

Fair was a notable player heading into the 2023 season following a successful training camp. The hype bled into the season as he made 14 catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns in Auburn’s first three games. However, his production dipped as he managed to record just 17 catches for 150 yards and zero scores over the final 10 games.

Despite his late struggles, Fair was second in receptions with 31, third in yards with 324, and tied for third with two touchdown catches. Auburn’s leading receiver, [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag], returns to the team for the 2024 season. At the same time, true freshmen [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Bryce Cain[/autotag], [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag], and [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag] are expected to enter the receiver rotation.

Auburn has received one commitment from the spring window, former Indiana defensive lineman Philip Blidi. Former Penn State receiver [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and former USC [autotag]Isaiah Raikes[/autotag] are also high on Auburn’s board.

BREAKING: Auburn WR Jay Fair plans to enter the Transfer Portal, he tells @on3sports

The 5’11 186 WR was a 2 year starter for the Tigers

2nd on the team in yards & receptions, averaged 11 yards per catch

Will have 2 years of eligibility remaining https://t.co/QF4bT5n3rg pic.twitter.com/Q9wQOZMGlY

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) April 20, 2024

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Former Penn State WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith schedules official visit to Auburn

Who says there is such a thing as too much talent in your wide receiver room?

Auburn is set to have one of its most talented wide receiver rooms in recent memory as Georgia State’s leading receiver from last season, [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag], joins the roster in addition to true freshmen [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Bryce Cain[/autotag], and [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag].

However, [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] wants to give his quarterbacks every advantage possible. Because of this, he is pursuing one of the top wide receivers in the transfer portal.

Former Penn State wide receiver [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] entered the transfer portal this week, and is already filling his calendar with official visits. According to Pete Nakos of On3, Lambert-Smith will be in Auburn for his official visit beginning Thursday.

Lambert-Smith had a productive career at Penn State. In four seasons, he logged 1,721 yards on 126 catches with 11 touchdowns. He completed his best season in 2023 by hauling in 53 passes for 673 yards, both were career-highs. He also tied his career-best in touchdowns with four.

He was Penn State’s highest-graded receiver according to Pro Football Focus with a 74.0. He caught 53 of 85 targeted passes with 11 contested catches and five drops.

Lambert-Smith has scheduled for Texas A&M that will take place following his Auburn visit this weekend. Colorado and West Virginia are other known schools that are actively pursuing Lambert-Smith.

All eyes will be on Cam Coleman during Saturday’s A-Day game

CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah feels that Coleman is the first step to rebuilding Auburn’s passing game.

Auburn fans will finally get the chance to watch one of the nation’s top incoming freshmen in action on Saturday.

Five-star wide receiver [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] will make his much-awaited debut on Saturday when he takes the field for the A-Day game at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Coleman is seen as an answer to Auburn’s passing woes from the 2023 season, which ranked dead last in the SEC and No. 121 in the nation with 163.9 yards per game. That is why experts at CBS Sports will keep an eye on him this Saturday.

CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah recently shared his list of freshmen to watch during the spring season, which included Coleman. Jeyarajah believes Coleman is the first step to rebuilding Auburn’s passing game.

Auburn’s passing offense was a joke in 2023, but Coleman adds an instant shot of adrenaline to the unit. Listed as the No. 5 overall player in the Top247, Coleman is one of the most exciting young prospects in the class. With a 6-foot-3 frame and impressive length, he should provide an instant safety blanket for Auburn’s middling quarterback room. Combined with fellow top-40 recruit Perry Thompson, the Tigers should quickly find some answers in the outside passing game.

Coleman is one of four talented receivers to sign with Auburn’s 2024 signing class. He, alongside four-star receiver [autotag]Bryce Cain[/autotag], is on campus and is going through spring practice. They will soon be joined by five-star [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag] and four-star [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag] to form the strongest recruiting class of wide receivers in Auburn history.

The first step of Coleman’s journey to becoming an Auburn legend begins at the annual A-Day game at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. CT.

Eugene Asante teaches Cam Coleman a lesson in humbleness

The SEC is a giant step up from high school football. Auburn freshman WR Cam Coleman has learned that the hard way.

Auburn signee [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] is catching hype early by turning heads in Auburn’s spring practices. While he makes it look easy on the practice field, he has learned that making the transition from high school football to the SEC is anything but.

While speaking to reporters last week, the true freshman from Phenix City was asked about his method of staying humble on the field. He shared his “welcome to college moment” that involves Auburn linebacker [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag] as an example.

“Man, I got rocked in practice one time,” Coleman said. “I got rocked by Eugene (Asante). I tried to crack Eugene and he was like, ‘Welcome to college!’ I thought I was going to get him.”

Like many players on Auburn’s roster, Coleman is learning new schemes and trying to make the most of his allotted time on the field. He says that he believes the team is starting to operate smoothly as A-Day approaches.

“We’ve definitely progressed during the spring because when we first started we were all trying to figure things out with the new offense,” Coleman said. “Tuesday was probably our best practice because everything is starting to click and everything is starting to come together now. The timing is starting to pick up. The blocking schemes are starting to come together. It’s really going to come with time and repetition.”

Coleman was Auburn’s top signee of the 2024 class and is one of two high-profile receivers to join Auburn’s roster for the spring alongside four-star [autotag]Bryce Cain[/autotag]. He is expected to make noise this season as two publications, College Sports Wire and The Athletic, list Coleman as a player set to make an early impact on the college football season.

Cam Coleman poised to make an immediate impact at Auburn

Manny Navarro of The Athletic believes that Coleman will quickly turn heads as a true freshman.

Auburn football hopes to make great offensive strides in 2024, and true freshman [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] could be a main component in its progression.

Writers at The Athletic recently shared their thoughts on the 2024 SEC recruiting haul, and which players could turn heads quickly. When asked to reveal his pick for the player who could make the biggest impact, Manny Navarro chose Auburn’s top signee.

I wanted to go with (Ryan) Williams at Alabama because of the Crimson Tide’s need for help at the position, but he’s not enrolling until this summer. So, I’m going with another five-star receiver already on campus: Auburn’s Cam Coleman. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound Phenix City, Ala., native could quickly become Payton Thorne’s favorite target this coming season as the Tigers look to open up the offense under new coordinator Derrick Nix, who helped run a top-20 scoring and passing offense at Ole Miss last season.

Grace Raynor feels that Coleman will also have a great season, citing his performance during Under Armour All-American practices. Raynor ultimately chose Tennessee‘s Mike Matthews while Ari Wasserman is expecting Texas‘ Ryan Wingo to make the biggest impact in the SEC.

Coleman signed with Auburn as the No. 2 wide receiver in the 2024 class and as the top recruit from the state of Alabama from nearby Phenix City. He, along with [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Bryce Cain[/autotag], and [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag] make up the top wide receiver signing class in Auburn history.