Why Kodi Burns isn’t worried about Auburn’s new WR corps adjusting to the SEC

By Peter Rauterkus | prauterkus@al.comAuburn’s wide receiver room had to be overhauled over the offseason.With players like Cam Coleman, Malcolm Simmons, Perry Thompson and Eric Singleton Jr. leaving the program, the Tigers had to rebuild. The Tigers did that primarily by adding five transfer receivers from South Florida, the former school of head coach Alex Golesh and wide receivers coach Kodi Burns.AUBURN, AL - March 24, 2026 - Auburn Associate Head Coach, Co-Offensive Coordinator & Wide Receivers Coach Kodi Burns during spring practice at the Woltosz Football Performance Center in Auburn, AL. Photo by Austin PerrymanAustin PerrymanThat group of former USF receivers makes up the core of Auburn’s receiver room in 2026. Chas Nimrod, Keshaun Singleton, Jeremiah Koger and Christian Neptune were all productive players for the Bulls, but are now stepping up a level in the SEC.Burns, though, thinks talk of the step up in competition from the American Conference is overblown.“If you do look at the schedule from our team last year, we did play SEC teams and it worked out pretty good,” Burns said, referring to USF’s 18-16 win over Florida. “There’s really good skill guys anywhere. I don’t care what level you’re at, but what separates the SEC from everybody else is the interior O-Line and D-Line.”USF threw for 263 yards in that game against Florida, with Singleton leading the way with 75 receiving yards. That came on just two catches, and one was a 66-yard touchdown reception.Singleton was USF’s leading receiver last season and caught four passes for 114 yards and a touchdown in two games against Power Four teams. Burns expects Singleton to play a similar role at Auburn this season.Nimrod, who has already emerged as the leader of the room, has played in the SEC before. He started his career at Tennessee, and his best season came in 2023 when he caught 19 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown. Nimrod caught four passes for 128 yards in USF’s toughest game last season, a 49-12 loss to Miami, proving his capabilities against top defenses.Neptune and Koger both became productive players as true freshmen. In their second year in Golesh and offensive coordinator Joel Gordon’s offense, they’re looking to have even bigger seasons in 2026.That group of players has heard the questions about whether or not they can adjust to the SEC and have talked about playing with something to prove this season. Burns, who brought the group from USF to Auburn, confident in what his room is capable of.“These guys have experience, and at the end of the day man, go out there and play ball,” Burns said. “We ain’t scared of nobody. We’re about to roll up and play ball.”Peter Rauterkus is an Auburn Sports Reporter for AL.com covering football, basketball and all things Auburn sports. He joined AL.com in July 2024. Prior to joining the sports staff at AL.com, Peter spent time...