Auburn head football coach Hugh Freeze was supposed to bring a "Freeze Five" to the Plains during the 2024 season. The plan: recruit Cam Coleman, Malcolm Simmons, Perry Thompson, Bryce Cain, and Ryan Williams and deploy the state of Alabama's five best receivers.
Williams stuck with Alabama through the coaching change from Nick Saban to Kalen DeBoer, but the "Freeze Four" became a thing last season after the other four signed on the dotted line with Freeze and Co.
The "Freeze Four" didn't really take off during the regular season. Simmons and Coleman emerged as the standouts, but Thompson and, especially, Cain, faded into the background.
In 2025, Coleman and Simmons continue to heavily factor into AU's offensive gameplan. The Montgomery Advertiser's Adam Cole relayed the expectation from spring practice that transfers Eric Singleton Jr. and Horatio Fields will likely join them, along with freshman Sam Turner, as the Tigers offense's "Freeze Five" this season.
"Auburn turned heads when it added Georgia Tech transfer wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. this offseason. He was widely regarded as the best player available in the transfer portal, but the Tigers added another receiver who appears poise for significant reps," Cole wrote.
"Horatio Fields posted career-bests at Wake Forest in 2024, catching 39 passes for 463 yards and four touchdowns. He's competed alongside Singleton, Cam Coleman and Malcolm Simmons all spring, with positive returns on what he has brought to the Tigers.
"Auburn's reliance on young talent may not have stopped with 2024, and the best example of that through the spring has been Sam Turner.
"Listed as a four-star recruit by On3 and Rivals, Turner has turned heads early, competing right alongside Auburn's first-team receivers and poising himself for considerable snaps in the fall."
Cole reaffirmed the stance that these five receivers were the frontrunners for the most snaps on Saturday while discussing the biggest positional battles this spring.
"Auburn has few position battles that feel wide-open, but its receiver room is evidence of the in-position contests it has seen all spring," Cole wrote.
"Cam Coleman, Eric Singleton Jr., Horatio Fields and Malcolm Simmons are the front-runners to hold the Tigers' front line at receiver. But Sam Turner has dazzled all spring. Perry Thompson has also shown considerable improvement, and that doesn't even include fellow blue-chipper Bryce Cain."
Jackson Arnold forming chemistry with this group -- Deuce Knight has formed particularly strong chemistry with Turner -- is encouraging to say the least.
Let's hope that chemistry can reach the field with strong offensive line play and gameday execution.