Auburn Tigers receiver Eric Singleton Jr. could be Hugh Freeze's next great one-and-done NFL prospect on the Plains. The hope is he follows in the footsteps of Penn State Nittany Lions transfer KeAndre Lambert-Smith, now a member of the Los Angeles Chargers, and makes the most of a single season in East Central Alabama before cashing in on a pro career.
Freeze needs it for his program's reputation. After all, the former receiver whisperer during his days coaching the Ole Miss Rebels has a reputation to uphold, or really restore, in Auburn.
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets transfer, of course, needs it to realize his dream and make life-changing money.
As CBS Sports' Mike Renner explains, many NFL teams also need Singleton. His archetype, according to Renner, is "indispensable" in the modern game.
"Singleton spent his first two seasons at Georgia Tech where he went for over 700 yards in each season, but was somewhat tapped out by the quality of its passing attack. He's the type of undersized receiver who was unthinkable 30 years ago, but is becoming indispensable in today's NFL. The type of athlete who can consistently create space for himself 15+ yards down the field. It's why his averaged depth of target has been a healthy 13.7 yards downfield for his career. Now at Auburn, Singleton joins one of the scariest receiving corps in all of college football," Renner wrote.
Auburn needs Jackson Arnold to deliver goods for talented WR room
Couple Singleton's NFL trajectory with Cam Coleman's record-breaking expectations in his sophomore season, and you have an offense Jackson Arnold needs to earn his $2 million NIL salary by powering.
There are many mouths to feed in the receiving corps, so the Oklahoma Sooners transfer quarterback can't resort to running the ball down opponents' throats like he did at the end of last season in Norman after earning his QB1 spot back from Michael Hawkins Jr.
With Singleton, Coleman, Wake Forest Demon Deacons transfer Horatio Fields, and Malcolm Simmons all needing targets, the pressure is immediately on Arnold to perform.
The vultures are already circling, pushing for Deuce Knight to be the guy who can get those guys the ball.