'He's been a good mentor to me': Singleton Jr.'s Close Bond with Newcomer Paving the Way for Auburn's WR Room

Transfer Eric Singleton Jr. and freshman Sam Turner may be new to the Auburn Tigers, but the two have forged a bond that goes back well-beyond the two's brief time in the Plains.

Auburn Tigers wide receiver Sam Turner (18) is looking to make an immediate impact as a true freshman. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

AUBURN, Ala.-- The Auburn Tigers have completely revamped their wide receivers room through the transfer portal this offseason, bringing in Georgia Tech transfer Eric Singleton Jr. and Wake Forest transfer Horatio Fields while returning one of the most electric wide receivers in Cam Coleman.

Adding to that core is freshman receiver Sam Turner, a previous Georgia Tech commit who followed Singleton Jr. to the Plains. 

The two have known each other since youth football, where Turner seen Singleton Jr. as a mentor.

"I'd say probably three years because I knew him from track to youth football, everything," Turner said of his bond with Singleton, according to 247 Sports' Jason Caldwell. "But he's been a good mentor to me. I go to his house all the time. He's just like, that's my guy. Eric, he's played a lot of ball so he knows coverages, releases and I have kind of been a sponge and I saw what Cam did last year as a freshman. I'm just taking that mindset and trying to make that me."

Turner will join a wide receiver group that could be considered one of the best in the nation. Outside the previously-mentioned Singleton Jr., Fields, Coleman and Turner, the Tigers have Perry Thompson and Malcolm Simmons, a pair of young wide receivers who are looking to be even better in their sophomore seasons.

Despite the loaded talent at wide receiver, Turner is confident he can make an immediate impact in his first year with Auburn.

"I expect to play and I also think Coach [Marcus] Davis has played a big role in showing me that I can play and believing in me," Turner said. "That's all I needed."

Head coach Hugh Freeze is a no stranger to having young guys playing early in their career. Turner could be the latest to join that list should Freeze and his staff deem him good enough to do so.