Eric Singleton Jr. Ready to be 'One-Man Army' for Auburn Tigers

AUBURN, Ala.- Day two of fall camp, and the Auburn Tigers are still building, learning, and plugging everyone into a position where they can succeed. Georgia Tech transfer wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. is feeling very confident in himself and his abilities, taking reps not only at wide receiver but at punt returner.

“That’s more plays with the ball in my hands, and I'm ready to make plays in front of everybody, one man army right there,” Singleton said with a smile.

There are three facets to winning football games: offense, defense, and one that sometimes gets the cold shoulder, special teams. The importance of having a playmaker, or let alone anyone who can just field that ball, is one of the key factors of special teams.

Auburn knows the pains of having poor special teams play last season after finishing dead last in the nation in field goal percentage. The return of Alex McPherson should help solve the kicking problem, while Singleton could bring a different dimension to the return teams.

At Georgia Tech, Singleton Jr. did not take any reps as the team’s punt returner, but did have 11 attempts as the kick returner for the Yellow Jackets.

Singleton has had a lot of buzz surrounding him since he transferred to Auburn, with him making many lists as a potential first-rounder in next April’s NFL Draft. ESPN’s Matt Miller has Singleton as the third-best wide receiver in the country entering this season, and Tiger fans hope the hype around him is real.

Singleton isn’t expecting a big learning curve as he makes the jump from the ACC to the SEC.

“It’s always been my dream to play in the SEC. I don’t really believe that’s a big difference,” Singleton said of his learning curve. “I’m just comin’ to ball.”

At Georgia Tech, he also took reps at halfback, rushing for 131 yards on 21 carries to go along with a touchdown last season. You could almost throw the label of ‘gadget’ on Singleton, rather than just wide receiver. Being able to utilize your star players in different positions not only helps the team win games but also helps a player’s draft stock.

The potential mismatches that can be created by doing this could help the Auburn offense, which many times last year struggled to move the ball.

Singleton won’t have to be a one-man army for the Auburn Tigers, but he’s ready to do whatever it takes.