AUBURN — Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze has been trying to flip his roster as quickly as possible, and that includes at receiver.

Freeze, set to begin his second season with the Tigers in the coming months, arrived on the Plains in November 2022 following a five-year stint at Ole Miss from 2012-16, a two-year hiatus after his ouster from 2017-18 and a four-year run at Liberty from 2019-22.

Across Freeze's career as a head coach at the Division I level, which also includes one season at Arkansas State in 2011, successful receivers have been attached to him. He helped the Rebels land future NFL standouts AJ Brown, DK Metcalf, Laquan Treadwell and Van Jefferson, as well as other future pros in Cody Core and Donte Moncrief. In his 11 seasons as a head coach, Freeze has seen a player log at least 500 receiving yards 25 times, at least 700 receiving yards 11 times and at least 1,000 receiving yards three times.

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Those numbers make what happened in his first year at Auburn even more surprising, as the leading receiver for the Tigers in 2023 − tight end RIvaldo Fairweather (394) − couldn't crack 400 yards. Ja'Varrius Johnson was second on the team with 347, and Jay Fair was the only other player above 300 yards at 324.

Johnson and Fair both transferred this offseason. Their exits have been part of a larger trend, as just one receiver on the roster predates Freeze's arrival (Camden Brown). Brown, along with Ohio State transfer Caleb Burton III, are the only WRs set to return from a season ago.

With so much new at the position, including a talented quartet of freshmen, here are a few goals for Auburn's nine scholarship receivers to strive for in 2024:

Camden Brown

Goal: Get established in the rotation

Brown, a top-500 player in the Class of 2022, has struggled to find his footing over the last two seasons. Following a promising spring period, a strong performance during fall camp should set him up for playing time, specifically early in the season. It's up to him to take advantage of that.

Caleb Burton III

Goal: Keep improving

Caleb Burton III clearly has skill. He wouldn't have signed to Ohio State in the Class of 2022 if that wasn't the case. An injury hampered him with the Buckeyes, but he was able to show off some talent by posting 16 catches for 226 yards at Auburn last season. If he can keep getting better, he could be a top-six receiver on the roster, which is the number Freeze plans to rotate in 2024.

Bryce Cain

Goal: Make a difference on special teams

A speedster who signed with Auburn in May, freshman Bryce Cain may find it difficult to get on the field on offensive in 2024. That's usually the case for any first-year player. But it doesn't mean Cain can't make himself useful. He may not be SEC-ready, but his speed surely is. Perhaps he could be used as a kick returner.

Cam Coleman

Goal: Be the best receiver on the team

Forget what was just said about first-year players, because Coleman isn't your typical freshman. Freeze has consistently noted that, calling Coleman a "different cat" in April. Of all the standout receivers Freeze has signed over his career, none left high school with a better recruiting ranking than Coleman, who wrapped up the 2024 cycle with a .9985 composite rating from 247Sports.

Sam Jackson V

Goal: Contribute in the slot

A former teammate of quarterback Payton Thorne's in high school, Cal transfer Sam Jackson V should have some natural chemistry with the guy throwing him the ball. He's played quarterback for the first few seasons of his career, so it may take him some time to adjust to a relatively new position. Whatever he can provide in the slot this season would be valuable to the Tigers.

KeAndre Lambert-Smith

Goal: Be a veteran leader

Auburn has an abundance of youth at receiver, but it lacked a big-time veteran who's done it at a high level. The Tigers went out and landed Penn State transfer KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who led the Nittany Lions with 673 receiving yards on 53 catches, to remedy this. He's got to produce, no doubt, but a huge part of his value will be how he can help Coleman and the rest of the rookies.

Robert Lewis

Goal: Prove to be the top slot option

Georgia State transfer Robert Lewis caught 70 passes for 877 and seven touchdowns last season, with the majority of his offensive reps (80.5%) coming out wide, per Pro Football Focus. With Coleman and Lambert-Smith making sense on the outside, that means Lewis may have to adjust if he wants to maximize his opportunities.

Malcolm Simmons

Goal: Make a difference on special teams

As another true freshman, Malcolm Simmons may find himself in a similar position to Cain. But like Cain has speed to lean on, Simmons has overall athleticism. Simmons, who also competed in track and field at Benjamin Russell High School, broke the state record for long jump in April.

Perry Thompson

Goal: Be a threat in the red zone

Perry Thompson is in a tier between Coleman and the duo of Cain and Simmons. Coleman had the advantage of going through spring practice, which should put him in position to see the field early; Thompson wasn't with the team until the spring period ended. Thompson certainly looks the part physically, though, and he could be dangerous in the red zone.

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football: Setting goals for WRs in 2024, including Cam Coleman