Auburn Sophomore WR Perry Thompson Setting Standard for Breakout Season

AUBURN, Ala.- With a loaded wide receiver core on the plains, the standard has been raised for the Auburn Tigers wide receiver room. There is a mixture of players with plenty of games under their belts, and some with none at all on the college level. But the standard remains the same, no matter how many games a player has played.

Sophomore wide receiver Perry Thompson is well aware of that, acknowledging that the standard for the team has been raised significantly from the previous season. 

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Thompson appreciates being pushed. The sophomore receiver knows it’s for his own good.

“I feel good, he (likely wide receiver coach Ike Hilliard) ripped me in the butt earlier about that,” Thompson said. “He’s gotta hold me to a high standard like you said, cause breakout year for me and just can't let no slack go by. So I gotta keep myself to a high standard every day when we come out to practice.”

Not only is having a high standard part of a winning culture, but maintaining that standard every day is also just as important. After one fall camp practice last week, Freeze noted that the energy levels from the entire team were down.

“You would think we would have a little more energy, I would hope,” Freeze said on Wednesday.  "We've got to improve that and make sure that every rep, every day, must be stacked in order to win these competitive, close games that we're gonna be in."

In winning cultures, having a low-energy day is not tolerated. Winning programs, such as Alabama when Nick Saban was present, would restart their entire practice if the team’s energy was not where it needed to be.

Nevertheless, Freeze thinks highly of Thompson, noting the improvement he has had in his craft since last season. 

“Malcolm and Perry jump off the pages, much better route runners, understanding depth of route, how you release, how to shave routes against man and zone. I think both of them have improved themselves well there,” Freeze said of two of his sophomore receivers. 

Thompson added to that statement from Freeze. Letting the college football world know what he has worked on during the offseason. 

“A lot more of just crafting my work, more of just technical stuff and routes. Everything since last year went from like a four to like an eight or nine now, so I feel a lot better in that,” Thompson stated. 

With Thompson looking to make more of a splash on the field than last season, when he only recorded five receptions, he knows the importance of maintaining the raised standard for the Tigers' receiving corps. Playing time may be hard to come by next season.

The Tigers are set to kick off on Friday, August 29th, against the Baylor Bears in Waco, Texas, where we will have to wait and see the role of Thompson within the offense.