Auburn Football

Auburn announced Monday it signed wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. out of the transfer portal.

It's great to be an Auburn Tiger!

🖊️ 𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐄𝐃
Welcome home, @EricSingletonJ2 🦅 pic.twitter.com/yU7mE1znGZ

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 23, 2024

Singleton caught 104 passes for 1,468 yards and nine touchdowns in two years at Georgia Tech. As a sophomore in 2024, he also ran for 131 yards and one score on 21 carries.

The 5'11" pass-catcher is the No. 3 overall player in 247Sports' portal rankings and the 14th transfer to commit to Auburn.

ESPN also has Singleton as the third-best talent in the portal.

"He's really good in the underneath passing game where he can turn screens and 5-yard catches into big chunk gains," ESPN's Billy Tucker said. "He also has elite straight-line speed to also get behind the defense and plucks most balls thrown in his vicinity. What makes him such a high commodity in the portal are the intangibles. He's a great blocker and tough player."

Head coach Hugh Freeze clearly identified upgrading the passing game as a top priority heading into the 2025 season. Along with Singleton, the Tigers are adding Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold, Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels, Wake Forest wideout Horatio Fields and Maryland tight end Preston Howard.

In terms of the receiver position, Auburn was already returning Cam Coleman and Malcolm Simmons. Together, they combined to catch 77 passes for 1,049 yards and 11 touchdowns as freshmen. The unit was looking pretty strong despite leading receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith graduating.

With Singleton joining the group, the Tigers could boast one of the SEC's most dynamic aerial attacks, especially if Arnold rediscovers what made him a 5-star recruit out of high school.

Nearly two weeks after announcing he was leaving Oklahoma to enter the transfer portal, Jackson Arnold found a new home with the Auburn Tigers on Saturday.

Special things happening on The Plains 🦅

Welcome 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄, @_JacksonArnold_!

📰 https://t.co/Q5xlub3Dhg pic.twitter.com/2ezRjQYO5u

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 14, 2024

5️⃣⭐️ dual-threat QB is an Auburn Tiger.@_JacksonArnold_ pic.twitter.com/IekXAVEXLY

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 14, 2024

Time to WORK, @_JacksonArnold_ 🤝 pic.twitter.com/mptrgCARuO

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 14, 2024

Pete Nakos of On3 Sports first reported Arnold's decision and noted the sophomore quarterback had a planned visit with Mississippi State called off because he is "locked in" with the Tigers.

A source confirms to @On3sports that Jackson Arnold's trip to Mississippi State has been called off. Locked in with Auburn.https://t.co/MiRKzikWit https://t.co/BMH5aU9L4o

— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) December 14, 2024

ESPN's Max Olson reported on Dec. 4 that Arnold was entering the transfer portal with two years of eligibility remaining.

Arnold was one of the most sought-after quarterback recruits coming out of high school in 2023. He was a 5-star prospect and No. 8 overall player in the class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Oklahoma got Arnold to sign a letter of intent in December 2022 after he also had strong interest from Notre Dame and Mississippi.

Arnold played behind Dillon Gabriel in his first season with the Sooners. He was elevated to the starting job in 2024 after Gabriel transferred to Oregon.

The Sooners benched Arnold late in the first half against Tennessee on Sept. 21 after he committed three turnovers. Michael Hawkins Jr., who finished the loss against the Vols, started the next two games against Auburn and Texas.

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables went back to Arnold as the starting quarterback for the Oct. 19 game against South Carolina. The 20-year-old finished this season with for 1,421 yards with 12 touchdowns and a 62.6 completion percentage in 10 games.

In addition to the quarterback carousel that happened in Oklahoma, Venables fired offensive coordinator Seth Littrell on Oct. 20 after a scoring a combined 12 points in losses to Texas and South Carolina.

Auburn needed to add depth at quarterback with Payton Thorne out of eligibility, plus Hank Brown and Holden Geriner transferring. Brown has committed to Iowa.

Arnold could enter next season as the Tigers starter with redshirt freshman Walker White and true freshman Deuce Knight being the only other quarterbacks on the roster right now.

Ahead of Saturday's rivalry game against No. 7 Alabama, Auburn freshman linebacker DeMarcus Riddick declared that he hasn't been impressed with Crimson Tide freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams.

When asked about facing Williams this week, Riddick told reporters, "Ryan Williams ain't no big time player to me" before going on to declare, "I will not lose to Bama while I'm here."

Riddick is actually very familiar with Williams, as both of them grew up in Alabama. 247Sports ranked Riddick as the state's No. 6 overall player in the class of 2024, while Williams was ranked No. 2. Williams was also named the Alabama Gatorade Football Player of the Year and Alabama Mr. Football in both his sophomore and junior years before reclassifying to the 2024 class and committing to the Crimson Tide. He was Alabama's first-ever two-time Mr. Football winner and the first sophomore ever to win the award.

It didn't take long for Williams to make a splash at the collegiate level, as he leads the Crimson Tide with 42 catches, 802 yards and eight touchdowns entering Saturday's game. However, he hasn't had a 100-yard game since his monster 177-yard performance in Alabama's win over Georgia in September.

Riddick has also had a solid freshman season for the Tigers, ranking third on the team with three sacks while adding 25 total tackles and a pass deflection. At 5-6, Auburn is holding out hope that it can earn a spot in a bowl game with a strong performance against Alabama.

With an 8-3 record, Alabama is battling for a spot in the College Football Playoff Rankings, so it will be motivated to bounce back from this past Saturday's loss to Oklahoma. After Riddick's comments, it can be expected that Williams will be ready to prove him wrong in their first meeting as rivals.

A pair of upsets in the SEC have resulted in fines for two schools after their fans stormed the field.

The conference announced Sunday that Oklahoma and Auburn have incurred fines for violations of the league's access to competition area policy due to fans entering the field. Auburn will be fined $100,000 after fans stormed the field following its win over No. 15 Texas A&M while Oklahoma will be fined $200,000 after its win over No. 7 Alabama led to fans storming the field.

NEWS: The SEC has fined Oklahoma $200k and Auburn $100k for fans storming the field.

It's a double fine for Oklahoma because fans stormed the field before the game ended. pic.twitter.com/twjDk8Z9uZ

— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) November 24, 2024

Auburn was fined $100,000 because it was the school's first offense of the competition area policy that was revised in 2023. Oklahoma was also a first-time offender but picked up an additional $100,000 fine because its fans entered the field before the game was over.

The Sooners, who came into the matchup with Alabama at 5-5 and 1-5 in conference play, were dominant in the 24-3 win. While they had just 68 passing yards on the night, they picked up 260 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground. Oklahoma also forced star quarterback Jalen Milroe to throw three interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

Oklahoma's first season in the SEC hadn't gone well before Saturday as its only conference win came against Auburn, but it managed to pick up a big win before the end of the year and can add to its resume next week against LSU.

Auburn didn't have as easy of a time knocking off Texas A&M as Oklahoma did beating Alabama. The Tigers went into four overtimes before finally taking down the Aggies behind a big night from running back Jarquez Hunter, who had 130 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

The win got Auburn one victory away from becoming bowl-eligible, though the Tigers will have to beat Alabama on its home field to get to six wins.

It took four overtimes for Auburn to complete a Saturday night upset of No. 15 Texas A&M.

KeAndre Lambert-Smith caught a two-point conversion pass from Payton Thorne in fourth OT to clinch a 43-41 victory over the Aggies.

GAME WINNER BIG PLAY DRE

📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/m5aHwfeucE

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) November 24, 2024

AUBURN WITH THE UPSET VS TEXAS A&M 😱 pic.twitter.com/tyhzQVQGSC

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 24, 2024

Auburn led 21-0 early, but Texas A&M stormed back to claim a fourth-quarter lead. The Tigers then tied the game to force overtime, where Auburn stunned college football fans by completing the upset.

AUBURN BEATS TEXAS A&M WOW

— Greyson Sciaraffa ☝️ (@GreysonSciaraf2) November 24, 2024

YOUR AUBURN TIGERS 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

— jb (@justhegreatestt) November 24, 2024

yes sir!! auburn wins!! chaos!! #SEC pic.twitter.com/evqFmG7Ikv

— 💭 (@fourdtough) November 24, 2024

Oh my, Auburn wins on a dropped A&M pass. And we have another field storm. And half the SEC’s six playoff contenders might all be dismissed after today.

— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) November 24, 2024

We're a football school and don't ever forget it! Adversity reveals. Character and our football team, coaching staff and Auburn family have shown it once again! @AuburnTigers @AuburnFootball

— Bruce Pearl (@coachbrucepearl) November 24, 2024

The thrilling upset leaves Texas as the only team in the SEC with a single conference loss.

Texas A&M struggled early, allowing three consecutive touchdown drives from the Tigers while the Aggies' first two possessions ended in a missed field goal and an interception.

CAM COLEMAN, WHO ELSE? 🔥

AUBURN TAKES THE 21-0 LEAD AGAINST NO. 15 TEXAS A&M 😤 @SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/rRTuR4yzH8

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) November 24, 2024

But the visitors rallied from the early 21-point deficit, cutting Auburn's advantage to 14 points by the end of the half before tying the game in the third quarter.

The Aggies gained the team's first lead of the night in the fourth quarter as quarterback Marcel Reed scrambled for a total of 29 yards to help get Texas A&M within touchdown range.

But the Texas A&M defense was unable to hold off Auburn from getting within field goal range on their final drive of regulation, and Ian Vachon scored three points from 29 yards out to send the game to overtime.

Texas A&M’s defense has their tackling setting to optional.

— Jared Feinberg (@JRodNFLDraft) November 24, 2024

A&M is trying to lose this game. Prevent defense needs to be banned from the sport.

— John Lewis (@jrl_texas) November 24, 2024

Both teams scored touchdowns in the first overtime. The Aggies had the chance to move ahead after a pass interference call limited Auburn to a field goal in the second OT, but were also held to a field goal on their ensuing drive.

After a scoreless third overtime, Lambert-Smith's conversion made the difference in the fourth extra frame.

Auburn's victory continued a day full of college football upsets including No. 7 Alabama losing to Oklahoma, No. 9 Ole Miss conceding to Florida and No. 16 Colorado being defeated by Kansas.

The upsets open the possibility that teams with unprecedented numbers of losses could qualify for a spot in the newly-expanded playoff.

Does this scenario now exist?

Texas A&M upsetting Texas, advancing to the SEC championship game, losing to Georgia and... being in contention for a CFP bid with FOUR losses?

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) November 24, 2024

A three-loss SEC team in the CFP — heck, even a four-loss SEC team in the CFP, a five-loss SEC team in the CFP.

— Chase Brown (@chaseabrown__) November 24, 2024

Texas A&M's loss also set up a critical in-state rivalry game against No. 3 Texas next weekend. The Aggies will need to win the season finale in order to advance to face Georgia in the SEC title game.

SEC title game is set:

Georgia vs. winner of next week's Texas at Texas A&M game

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) November 24, 2024

The first Texas-Texas A&M game in 13 years will feature two teams with SEC and national title aspirations on the line.

It simply couldn't be better.

— David Ubben (@davidubben) November 24, 2024

Texas A&M loses in 4OT at Auburn.

They now need to beat Texas and Georgia in back-to-back weeks in order to make the College Football Playoff.

Otherwise, they’re out.

— Ben Hayes (@BenHayes212) November 24, 2024

The chance to earn the top ranking in the SEC will be on the line next Saturday when Texas at Texas A&M kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Five-star quarterback Deuce Knight committed to Auburn on Wednesday after initially pledging his future to Notre Dame.

AU it’s up🦅 https://t.co/JUbPUIuLgK

— Deuce Knight (@DeuceKnight) October 2, 2024

Knight is the No. 5 quarterback and No. 29 overall player in 247Sports' composite rankings for the 2025 class. He moves the Tigers up to third in the site's composite team rankings.

news: it finally happened

Auburn has flipped 2025 5-star QB Deuce Knight from Notre Dame

if he signs, the big, athletic lefty from Mississsippi would be the third highest-rated quarterback in program history, according to the 247Composite — only behind Bo Nix and Jason Campbell

— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) October 2, 2024

The decommitment is a tough blow for Notre Dame.

The Fighting Irish have struggled to find a lasting solution at quarterback since Marcus Freeman took over as head coach. Drew Pyne and Tyler Buchner split starting duties in 2022 before Freeman turned to the transfer portal to land Sam Hartman and then Riley Leonard.

Notre Dame still has true freshman CJ Carr, the No. 6 QB in the 2024 class. But landing Knight would've allowed Freeman and his staff to hedge their bets and increase their odds of having a major difference-maker under center for a few years.

Considering he wears the No. 2 jersey, is a dual-threat quarterback, and will attend Auburn, the comparisons between Knight and Cam Newton will be inescapable. That's of course setting the bar almost impossibly high because Newton was a revelation in his lone season with the Tigers.

It's not hard to see why fans are at least excited about the idea of Knight in a Hugh Freeze offense.

Per MaxPreps, the southpaw has thrown for 4,052 yards and 33 touchdowns and run for another 966 yards and 22 scores as a varsity player at George County High School in Mississippi.

"Should be viewed as a potential lottery ticket in the 2025 cycle with a monster payout," 247Sports' Andrew Ivins wrote in his scouting report from August 2023. "Has proven to be a rather streaky player at times under the lights, but the good is really good, and the raw traits separate him from a lot of his peers. Built for a modern spread attack that wants to move its quarterback around and get them involved in the run game while also looking to generate explosive plays through the air."

Auburn went 6-7 in Freeze's first season and things are trending in the same direction in 2024 amid a 2-3 start. Looking at the Tigers' incoming recruiting class, the future is looking up, though.

It looks like Auburn football players aren't the only opponents Oklahoma team members need to watch out for during Saturday's matchup at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Video taken from the stands appeared to show an Auburn cheerleader colliding with an Oklahoma player while doing backflips on the field before the game.

one of our cheerleaders just absolutely demolished an oklahoma with some wild crouching tiger hidden dragon move pic.twitter.com/bTlRCFAIXx

— Brice (@dBriceJ) September 28, 2024

Auburn cheerleader accidentally takes down an Oklahoma player pregame
📹 @dBriceJ pic.twitter.com/01euIoWkzz

— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) September 28, 2024

No. 2 Oklahoma entered the road game with a 3-1 record, while Auburn was looking to improve over .500 after starting the season 2-2.

Several other Sooners players dodged the cheerleader before his collision, which appeared to involve a player wearing No. 8 and may have been freshman running back Taylor Tatum. The player was helped up by a teammate following the collision.

Tatum was already listed as out heading into the game after suffering a concussion during Oklahoma's loss to No. 5 Tennessee last Saturday. He had rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns, while making one touchdown catch, in four games prior to his injury.

The running back was one of ten players sidelined for Oklahoma on Saturday, joining a stacked injury list highlighted by the first five receivers on the Sooners' depth chart.

That will make Oklahoma's loss of Tatum even more difficult to overcome as the Sooners head into an injury-riddled matchup highlighted by intrigue in both program's quarterback battles.

Freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. got the start for Oklahoma on Saturday after his success as a backup for sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold earned him a shot at QB1.

Auburn meanwhile turned back to fifth-year senior Payton Thorne after benching him in favor of backup Hank Brown for the previous two games.

The contest, which marked Oklahoma's first road game in the conference since officially joining the SEC this summer, kicked off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne revealed after his team's loss to California that fans have reached out asking for money when they lose bets involving the Tigers.

"They're definitely not sending cash," Thorne said during a Tuesday appearance on The Next Round (h/t ESPN's David Purdum). "It's funny. When they lose money, they want their money back. But when they win money on a parlay, no one's ever sent me any of the money."

While Thorne chuckled when making the comments, Purdum explained it is an issue the NCAA is taking seriously.

Maryland, Louisiana, Ohio and Vermont are among the states that ban prop bets involving college players, and Purdum noted a study from NCAA partner and artificial intelligence company Signify revealed fans with a "betting interest" send messages to one-third of high-profile college athletes.

Sports betting has become more prevalent in today's world, but the NCAA would like to curb some of the practices.

"This all has to stop," NCAA president Charlie Baker said in June, per Bryan Fischer of Fox Sports. "So far we've managed to work with four states to shut down prop betting on college sports."

Baker also called for a ban on all college prop bets in March.

"Sports betting issues are on the rise across the country with prop bets continuing to threaten the integrity and competition and leading to student athletes and professional athletes getting harassed," Baker said in a statement. "The NCAA has been working with states to deal with these threats and many are responding by banning college prop bets."

Yet the prevalence of sports betting has not stopped fans and gamblers from reaching out and contacting college athletes, as Thorne illustrated.

His comments come after he struggled during Auburn's home loss to Cal. He went 14-of-27 for 165 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions, the last of which iced the win for the Golden Bears in the final seconds.

The Tigers will look to bounce back at home against New Mexico on Saturday.

Bryan Harsin appears to be enjoying life without the stresses of a coach's workload.

The former Auburn coach posted a photo on X of him raising a cup toward a lake with the caption "'Nothing beats winning a tough battle.' Cheers to all the Winners!"

“Nothing beats winning a tough battle.” Cheers to all the Winners! pic.twitter.com/OP2Flp36da

— Bryan Harsin (@CoachHarsin) September 9, 2024

This post comes following Week 2 of the college football season, one in which his former team suffered a 21-14 loss to Cal.

This loss sends Auburn to 1-1 on the season with only one non-conference game remaining before a daunting conference slate. This is the second season with Hugh Freeze, Harsin's successor, as the team's head coach.

Harsin served as the Tigers' coach from 2021-22, compiling a 9-12 overall record and a 4-9 record within the SEC. He was fired midway through the 2022 season and had a controversial tenure with the program that included significant turnover and conflict with players.

This disastrous coaching tenure came after a strong run with Boise State, his alma mater, and he has not returned to coaching since. The 47-year-old very well could return, but it looks like he will soak in some more relaxation while his former team tries to rebound from the loss.

Auburn running back Brian Battie was released from the hospital on Saturday, according to his mother Adriene Battie, after suffering a gunshot wound to the head in May.

"Words can't express the joy and thankfulness we feel right now," she wrote. "We have witnessed a miracle, and we know it's because of God's grace, mercy, and the power of prayer. We have spent every day praying for God's healing and we claimed it knowing Brian would walk out of the hospital and today he DID!"

Battie was in critical condition after the shooting, which also killed his brother, Tommie Battie IV. The Auburn running back was facing potential permanent paralysis, though he began walking with a cane again in July and is hopeful to make a full recovery.

Brian Battie’s parents put out an update this morning through GoFundMe, thanking everyone for the continued support.

They also said a “year of intensive rehab” is likely ahead, but Brian is “determined to make a full recovery and finish his senior year at Auburn and graduate.” pic.twitter.com/U1G2RzCU5C

— Richard Silva (@rich_silva18) July 26, 2024

"He has a road ahead of him that's challenging, but praise to God that he's OK," Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze told reporters in July. "He's alive and recovering and we're thankful for that."

Battie, a senior, rushed for 2,069 yards and 11 touchdowns in a college career that included stops at USF (2020-22) and Auburn (2023-present). He also had three touchdowns in his career as a kick returner.

"Throughout these challenging months, we have seen God's hand at work in so many ways—from the incredible doctors and nurses who cared for him, to the love and support of our family and friends to the strength Brian has shown every single day," his mother wrote. "We are in awe of His goodness and the miraculous recovery that has unfolded before our eyes.