Which players are worth watching in Auburn football's A-Day? Here are 5 newcomers to know. (2025)

Table of Contents

Oklahoma transfer QB Jackson Arnold Wake Forest transfer WR Horatio Fields USC transfer OL Mason Murphy Freshman WR Sam Turner Freshman CB Blake Woodby

AUBURN — The spring has nearly ended for Auburn football. The Tigers are set to close out their annual spring practice session with A-Day on Saturday. (Noon CT)

Hugh Freeze and his staff have had plenty of time to build up their current roster for the upcoming 2025 season, and assess what needs to change moving forward, the general public will get their first look at the Tigers on Saturday afternoon.

"I've kind of enjoyed the format," Freeze said Thursday of the spring. "Lot of teaching, lot of walkthroughs and not as much on the field hitting. ... I really am excited about the attitude I see, the accountability that I see. I think that shows up in a lot of different matters, whether it be the academic report of the disciplinary things.

"To this point, our kids, I think, have been accountable to buying into a standard that we said we would like to meet. Really pleased with a lot of things heading into our final practice Saturday."

Ahead of A-Day, here are five newcomers to keep an eye on in the Tigers final spring practice of 2025.

Oklahoma transfer QB Jackson Arnold

Which players are worth watching in Auburn football's A-Day? Here are 5 newcomers to know. (1)

There's little to say about Jackson Arnold that hasn't already been said at this point. The former consensus five-star recruit and Gatorade National Player of the Year out of high school made a change of scenery this offseason, and he's poised to be the program's QB1 come game time.

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"He fit with me, and our visits and with the culture that we want here," Freeze said Thursday. "I think he fits that. And then his skill set, I think, is really good and he's throwing it at a high, high level right now to guys he believes in and trusts that they're going to make plays on the ball for him. Hopefully, that confidence just continues to grow."

Wake Forest transfer WR Horatio Fields

Which players are worth watching in Auburn football's A-Day? Here are 5 newcomers to know. (2)

Auburn turned heads when it added Georgia Tech transfer wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. this offseason. He was widely regarded as the best player available in the transfer portal, but the Tigers added another receiver who appears poise for significant reps.

Horatio Fields posted career-bests at Wake Forest in 2024, catching 39 passes for 463 yards and four touchdowns. He's competed alongside Singleton, Cam Coleman and Malcolm Simmons all spring, with positive returns on what he has brought to the Tigers.

USC transfer OL Mason Murphy

Which players are worth watching in Auburn football's A-Day? Here are 5 newcomers to know. (3)

When Auburn added Virginia Tech transfer Xavier Chaplin to its offensive line, it got a bonafide blindside protector. However, he has been a limited participant this spring, nursing an upper body injury back to health with little concern about his availability for the season.

In his absence, Mason Murphy will be the one to watch Saturday. Arriving from USC, where he was a starting right tackle for multiple seasons, Murphy projects to have the same role for the Tigers in 2025.

Freshman WR Sam Turner

Which players are worth watching in Auburn football's A-Day? Here are 5 newcomers to know. (4)

Auburn's reliance on young talent may not have stopped with 2024, and the best example of that through the spring has been Sam Turner.

Listed as a four-star recruit by On3 and Rivals, Turner has turned heads early, competing right alongside Auburn's first-team receivers and poising himself for considerable snaps in the fall.

Freshman CB Blake Woodby

Which players are worth watching in Auburn football's A-Day? Here are 5 newcomers to know. (5)

Turner isn't the only freshman to turn heads this spring. Safeties AnQuon Fegans and Eric Winters, and defensive lineman signee Malik Autry have done the same, as has cornerback Blake Woodby.

Like Turner, Woodby has inserted himself with the best of his position group. Should the remainder of his offseason go accordingly, he's set for a spot in the Tigers' two-deep.

Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football: Five newcomers to know ahead of 2025 A-Day