Auburn Tigers WR Standing Out During SEC Skid

The Auburn Tigers have been in quite the rut recently, losing four straight games to open 0-4 in SEC play for the third consecutive season under head coach Hugh Freeze. The offense has been the main culprit, scoring just 13.5 points per game in that time.

However, that isn’t to say the group has been totally devoid of bright spots. The receiving group has still been playing fairly well, led by sophomore superstar Cam Coleman and Georgia Tech transfer Eric Singleton Jr., though the group may have found another bright spot thanks to the development of sophomore Perry Thompson.

“I’m really proud of him,” Freeze said. “The guy, truthfully, when he got here, had no idea how to practice. The talent was there. He knew how to run a go route, but he didn’t know how to take a release off of anything or what different coverages looked like. He wasn’t the only one. Malcolm (Simmons) was that way, too. Cam (Coleman) was to a certain extent. Cam was more prepared, but to see him starting to enjoy playing the game and having success, that’s really what coaching is about is developing those guys.”

Though Thompson has just 8 catches for 89 yards this season, the sophomore has seen his production rise recently thanks to the injury to Wake Forest transfer Horatio Fields, whose role Thompson has been asked to fill. He had his best game of the season on Saturday against Missouri, hauling in 4 passes for 60 yards. His development has given the Tigers a solid third option behind Coleman and Singleton despite the loss of Fields.

“You have to give Marcus (Davis) and Coach (Maurice) Harris and Heath (Dedeaux), those guys who work with him every single day, a lot of credit,” Freeze said. “Nobody was more bothered on the sideline than him after he dropped that one on the second or third possession, and I love to see that. He’s just getting better and better every single day. I have to remind myself that we’re playing these top teams very tough, but we’re still fairly young at some spots. He’s still a young kid, but I’m really excited to see his development.”

In addition to Thompson’s increased role in the receiving game, he has also been a willing blocker on the outside. He has been effective on wide screens, designed runs, and even quarterback scrambles. One of his blocks on Saturday directly created a first down for Jackson Arnold on a third-down scramble.

The fact that Thompson, Coleman, and Simmons can continue to flash in an offense that has been nearly devoid of bright spots in 2025, especially in SEC play, should be incredibly encouraging. Given the right system and quarterback, the group has the potential to become stars on The Plains for the next couple of seasons.

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