Auburn wide receivers Eli Stove and Will Hastings have been cleared to return to practice in a full capacity, Gus Malzahn announced Tuesday.

Stove and Hastings both sustained a torn ACL in the spring and underwent surgery to repair the ligaments. The two receivers have been participating in practice since the start of fall camp in a limited capacity, but the duo is ready to take the next step -- though no target date has been set for their return to the field for a game.

"As far as full practice, we'll see where that goes with how confident they are and we are as far as when that happens to return," Malzahn said. "We're going to see how that goes, but I think that's a positive that they've been cleared to practice fully."

Malzahn said the two have "worked extremely hard" to get to this point and continue to come along well in their recovery. Both wide receivers will be able to participate in THUD and other drills in practice at full speed, but neither will be tackled, according to Malzahn.

Hastings was Auburn's third-leading receiver last season, finishing the year with 26 receptions for 525 yards and four touchdowns. He was one of Auburn's go-to deep targets, registering a 70 percent catch rate on deep balls, which was the highest among returning receivers in FBS entering this season, according to Pro Football Focus.

Stove recorded 29 catches for 265 yards last season and added another 315 yards rushing and two scores on 30 carries.

"We knew their progress was ahead of schedule," Malzahn said."... Now it's just taking that next step to be cleared to fully participate in practice. We will see where that goes, but until they and I are 10 percent for sure and I'm 100 percent for sure, they won't be on the field. We will see when that is, and I will keep you updated. There is a really good chance that both of them will be back this year."

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.