Auburn returning players 2025: Top 5 players who will return to Hugh Freeze's squad ft. Cam Coleman

Auburn and Hugh Freeze have a huge season in front of them. After falling back into their losing ways in Freeze's second season, with an overall record of 5-7, the third season is seen as possibly setting the tone for the coach's time at the Alabama school. If he fails to bring a decidedly winning season in 2025, he could see himself without a job in 2026.

Thankfully for Freeze, Auburn has one of the best returning freshman classes in the SEC. The program had four SEC All-Freshman selections in 2024, all of whom are returning for 2025. Here's a look at the best players returning for 2025.

Top 5 players who will return to Auburn in 2025

#5 Malcolm Simmons - WR

Syndication: The Montgomery Advertiser - Source: Imagn

Malcolm Simmons has a tall order in 2025, as he's expected to at least partially fill in the gap left by the departure of first-team All-SEC wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who left Auburn for the NFL. However, his production in 2024 seems to signal that he has what it takes.

Last season, Simmons had 451 yards with three touchdowns in 40 receptions. That's solid production for someone in his freshman year.

#4 Jay Crawford - DB

Syndication: The Montgomery Advertiser - Source: Imagn

Crawford is the first of several SEC All-Freshman selections on this list. In 2024, he had 13 solo tackles, two assist tackles, one interception and seven passes defended. He was one of the standouts in defense for the Tigers, in a unit that featured several freshmen in starting roles. All of this despite only being 5-foot-11 and 179 pounds.

#3 Demarcus Riddick - LB

NCAA Football: Auburn at Alabama - Source: Imagn

Demarcus Riddick is another defensive freshman who gave solid production for Hugh Freeze's team, earning SEC All-Freshman honors in the process. Riddick has a strong physical presence at 6-2 and 217 pounds, while also having good mobility.

In 2024, he recorded 17 solo tackles, 10 tackle assists, three sacks and one pass defended.

#2 Bradyn Joiner - OL

UL Monroe vs. Auburn - Source: Getty

Bradyn Joiner led the voting for the SEC All-Freshman offensive linemen selections, signaling he was the best freshman lineman in the toughest conference in the nation. In 2025, he will have an important task in protecting either former Oklahoma Sooner Jackson Arnold or former Stanford Cardinal Ashton Daniels, who are set to fight over the starting quarterback position with the Tigers.

Both are new to the SEC, and Arnold is coming back from severe injuries. At 6-2 and 328 pounds, Joiner will be a wall in front of either of them.

#1 Cam Coleman - WR

Syndication: The Montgomery Advertiser - Source: Imagn

Cam Coleman, another SEC All-Freshman selection, is ranked among the best returning wide receivers in the nation by Pro Football Focus. Coleman ranks sixth among returning wide receivers in college football, according to the analytics website.

It's easy to see why when one looks at his freshman numbers in 2024, as he recorded 598 receiving yards with eight touchdown catches in 37 receptions.