Auburn Retaining Underclassman Wide Receiver for Next Season

The Auburn Tigers will retain a young wide receiver for the next era of football under Alex Golesh

Auburn will hang onto a young wide receiver | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

AUBURN, Ala.- The Auburn Tigers have scored a massive victory in the transfer portal, retaining freshman wide receiver Sam Turner, who announced his intention to enter the transfer portal initially, but is now returning to the Plains, he announced on X on Sunday morning. 

God you will. Nothing More. Nothing Less. Nothing Else. pic.twitter.com/rcOCvI5Oht

— ⚡️Samuel “SAM” Turner ⚡️ (@yksam17) January 4, 2026

Turner, a 6-foot-1 wide receiver from Decatur, GA, did not see much playing time during the 2025 season due to a loaded wide receiver room. But now has an opportunity to return and be a key player for the Tigers in 2026. He is a former three-star recruit and is the first wide receiver who entered the transfer portal to announce that he is returning to Auburn. 

Turner was initially committed to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, but flipped his commitment to the Tigers in October of 2024. As a junior in high school, he caught 56 passes for 903 yards and 6 touchdowns, according to 247sports.com. He was also a multisport athlete in high school, playing both basketball and baseball. 

Although he did not record an official stat in the 2025 season, he has the true potential to be a star for Auburn. There are currently five Auburn wideouts in the transfer portal. Those players are Cam Coleman, Perry Thompson, Cam’Ron King, Malcolm Simmons, and Horatio Fields. Auburn is also losing Eric Singleton to the NFL Draft, leaving Turner as one of the only wideouts to return to Auburn next season. 

Auburn did sign three wide receivers during the early signing day period, indicating that the wide receiver room could potentially be led by younger guys, depending on if Auburn is able to grab receivers from the transfer portal.  

Potential other names to look out for in the transfer portal, besides Auburn, are USF's Keshaun Singleton and Chas Nimrod. Both players played under Golesh last season, and it could be possible to look out for a mass migration of USF players to the Plains. 

Turner now returns to the plains with an opportunity to be a feature player in 2026. The Auburn wide receiver room is hitting a hard reset button going into the new season, with only one familiar face set to return. The primary concern for Auburn fans, however, is who will be throwing the ball to the wide receivers next season. 

Auburn has been plagued with bad quarterback play over the years, and that will hopefully also be solved during the transfer portal period, as the quarterback room from last season is also cleared out for Auburn. It is to be determined who will be throwing the ball to Turner and the Auburn wideouts next season.