Auburn Tigers WR Perry Thompson Ready to Live Up to Hype

When explosive high school wide receiver Perry Thompson was recruited by the Auburn Tigers, the widely held consensus was that he would make a real impact as a true freshman. Thompson was the No. 8 receiver in the country and a top-50 prospect regardless of position according to 247Sports. 

However, after only 5 catches, 126 yards, and a touchdown in 2024, it put everything in a completely different light for him.

It even begged the question that Thompson might look to further his career at a program which was far less stacked at the pass catching position.

Instead, it speaks volumes of Thompson's desire to succeed that he's positively harnessed his frustrations and is now using all the initial setbacks as valuable fuel to really prove himself on the Plains.

Furthermore, the savvy decision head coach Hugh Freeze made to bring in veteran transfer portal receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith to help mentor the young group continues to pay off, even after his departure for the NFL Draft.

"It was very humbling," Thompson told Jason Caldwell of Auburn Undercover. "You come out of high school being a star - I had to have patience with myself. I knew I had a good person in front of me, and I looked up to him as a role model and picked up on a lot of his traits, a lot of things he did. And I put that into my game this year."

Thompson using Lambert-Smith as a prime example of how to go about his own business is also a big plus for a completely rebuilt quarterback room at AU. It's a new look unit which will most likely feature intriguing former Oklahoma Sooners playmaker Jackson Arnold under center - with 5-star recruit Deuce Knight waiting eagerly in the wings as he learns his craft.

Head coach Hugh Freeze saw the difference between year one and year two quickly from his freshmen receivers, including Thompson.

"I think even Malcolm (Simmons) and Perry (Thompson), who are just a second year in the same system with the same terminology, doing the same things, you see them now catching on," Freeze insisted. "There were still times last year, Payton (Thorne) is ready for Malcolm or Perry to do this, and it may not get it exactly done, and now you start seeing them executing at a better level. So, we are very much dependent on that room having success."

Auburn's wide receiving unit has already been making national pundits sit up and take notice, so Arnold will undoubtedly look toward the big catch radius Thompson can provide him with further down the field in 2025.

Of course, last season Thompson pretty unsurprisingly found making the transition from high school starlet to college football newbie all a little daunting.

Fast forward a calendar year, and we find a much more confident young man and wide receiver declaring that his head is no longer swimming with a weight of detail he cannot process.

"I've got the system down pat," Thompson declared. "Last year it was a lot of my head spinning - I'm here, there, everywhere.Now I've got everything down pat, so I feel very good going into the season."

Should Thompson follow through and bring some added dynamics to the Auburn wide receiving unit, it's Arnold who probably stands to reap the rewards most significantly.

Arnold himself is just getting to master the new offense, but spring practice sessions have brought everyone onto the same page at a fairly rapid pace.

Getting his first spring practice under his belt and a second season in Freeze’s system should help Thompson live up to the high expectations he brought with him to Auburn.