Auburn Tigers Passing Game Quietly Making Strides

It’s been frustrating year, but the Tigers passing game has taken a step forward this season

The Auburn Tigers have improved their game from the air, even if it doesn’t always feel that way / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze stressed the importance of overhauling the wide receiver unit after the 2023 season.

Auburn totaled just 2,109 receiving yards in 2023 and the leading receiver, tight end Rivaldo Fairweather, had just 394 yards. The Tigers only had two other players cross the 300-yard threshold. It can be described as anemic at best. 

It has been much better to start 2024. The Tigers have tallied 2,022 yards from the air through eight games. With four games to go, they’re close to matching last season’s numbers.

Their leading receiver, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, has amassed 579 yards so far, almost two 200 yards better in three-fourths of the games, and Malcolm Simmons has crossed the 300-yard threshold with two more receivers approaching it.

If there is a bright side to this underwhelming year for the Auburn Tigers, it’s the improvement in the passing game compared to last season.

Freeze made upgrades to the receiving core through the portal and on the recruiting trail.

In addition to transfer portal veterans Lambert-Smith and Robert Lewis, a group of highly-rated freshmen have made an impact. Simmons is Auburn’s second-leading receiver followed by Cam Coleman, who was the No. 5 player in the 2024 recruiting class according to .

It hasn’t been perfect, Auburn still makes plenty of mistakes in the passing game. However, Freeze believes things are on the right track.

“We still got a ways to go, but that’s pretty normal,” Freeze said. “They are getting better each week.”

With three freshmen getting significant playing time at wideout and the offense seeing improvement in the passing game since their arrival, the future of Auburn’s ability to move the ball through the air is looking bright.

Auburn has two wide receivers currently committed to its 2025 recruiting class that is currently ranked No. 5 nationally according to . Four-star Derick Smith and three-star Sam Turner are the two wide receivers currently committed to the Tigers for 2025, adding more young talent to the room.