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The 2025 Auburn football team has a lot of potential this season. Head coach Hugh Freeze has dominated the recruiting trail through the transfer portal and high school ranks. This is a big year for the Tigers because it can make or break Hugh Freeze's career with Auburn football. As fall camp starts, one big story involves the news surrounding wide receiver Malcolm Simmons.
At the first press conference of fall camp, Hugh Freeze was asked the first question about Malcom Simmons. On July 16, Simmons was arrested on a charge of domestic assault with strangulation or suffocation. Going into fall camp, Simmons' availability was up in the air, and Freeze clarified that based on everything they know, Simmons will be available for the Tigers.
“Based on the information that I've been given from our administration, which knows the matter, he's been cleared to participate in team activities,” Freeze said at Wednesday's press conference.
When asked to elaborate on his statement, Freeze knew what he would say and would not discuss the pending legal status, instead repeating his statement.
“Like I said earlier, based on the information I've been given from administration, he's cleared to practice, and that's all I have,” Freeze repeated.
According to court documents, Opelika police said they saw bruises on a woman's neck when they responded to a domestic violence call on July 16. The officers identified the woman as Simmons' girlfriend and said Simmons denied strangling her. Simmons has a preliminary hearing set for August 8, 2025, for his domestic assault charge.
Simmons was a standout freshman and is expected to play an even bigger role for the Tigers this season. The Montgomery native was a former four-star, with 40 receptions for 451 yards and three touchdowns in his freshman season, good for third in the receiving corps.
Despite the questions surrounding Simmons' availability, Auburn will still have one of the best receiving corps in the entire country this season. Fellow sophomore Cam Coleman is primed for an even bigger role as a former five-star recruit who was almost unguardable last season. Eric Singleton Jr. also transferred over from Georgia Tech and was widely regarded as the best wide receiver in the transfer portal.
This is a big year for Auburn football, and the fact that the program is already in disarray as fall camp gets started is not a great way to get things going.
