Transfer WR Fighting for Role at Auburn: 'Every Day Is an Interview'

With the Auburn Tigers’ first spring camp under new head coach Alex Golesh moving further along, some new names are trying to make a name for themselves on the plains. Usually, with a new coach comes an almost entirely new roster.

And for the most part, that is the case for the Tigers.

The room that was hit the hardest by the transfer portal was the wide receiver room, with the departures of Cam Coleman to Texas, Malcolm Simmons to Texas Tech, Perry Thompson to Minnesota, and Eric Singleton Jr. to Florida.

However, with all of the departures to the transfer portal, Golesh and company were able to bounce back and completely change the way the wide receiver room looked. Part of that bounce back was sophomore wide receiver Christian Neptune, a transfer wide receiver from Golesh’s old school, USF.

The new wide receiver room brings a new depth chart, and Neptune knows that every day of spring practice is his opportunity to prove he belongs on the plains.

“Competition? I mean, every day is an interview,” Neptune said after Thursday afternoon’s practice.
“It's like what we say in the wide receiver room, no matter who we are going against, whether it is our teammates or practicing for opponents, we are here every day putting in work. Competition is great. Coming into a bigger conference, we’re ready for that. And we are showing that every day.”

Last season at USF, Neptune recorded 38 receptions for 335 yards and a lone touchdown. Although the numbers do not stand out, Neptune showed flashes of what he is capable of.

Neptune was also sitting behind great wide receivers who also transferred to Auburn from USF. Those players being Jeremiah Koger, Keshaun Singleton, Kory Pettigrew and Chas Nimrod. Not to mention, new Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown is also a transfer from USF, so he won't need much time to get back into the rhythm of passing to his teammates.

Nimrod, specifically, has quickly garnered praise in spring camp.

“Chas, man. He brings speed, energy, everything you need,” Singleton said. “He got good hands, quick on his feet, and he’s very smart. So like, if you need him at the slot, he’ll go to the slot, if you need him at the outside, he’ll go to the outside. If you needed him in the backfield, he’d go back there.”

As the Tigers continue to rebuild under Golesh, the wide receiver room is one of the most interesting position groups to watch for the rest of the spring and heading into the fall. For Neptune, this could provide an opportunity to step into a new program and compete to see more field time this season.