Former Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman was one of the best players available in the transfer portal before Texas landed him. He constantly made jaw-dropping catches for the Tigers and will now team up with Arch Manning to potentially lead the Longhorns to a College Football Playoff run in 2026.
Football Analyst Says Cam Coleman Brings Game-Changing Talent to Arch Manning
Coleman was a five-star recruit in the 2024 class and ranked only behind Jeremiah Smith among wide receivers in the cycle. His addition provides Manning with a true No. 1 receiving threat that Texas lacked last season.
Football analyst Brooks Austin shared his outlook for Coleman in 2026.
“We slap five stars on guys because we expect them to be first-round draft picks, and I think Cam Coleman has every bit of the abilities to be a first-round draft pick,” Austin said on the recent talk with On Texas Football. “I think he’s one of the best wide receivers in college football. All that being said, I don’t know how good a route runner he is.
“I don’t know how much of a separator he is, but do you have to be? Have you seen this guy with the ball in the air? That’s all that really matters. When the ball’s in the air, he goes and gets it. Everybody uses the old 50/50 ball idiom. It’s not what that is with this kid. I call it an 80/20 situation if the QB puts the ball anywhere relative to his frame.”
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Coleman is a high-upside talent, and his success is mostly due to his own talent, as he can catch almost any pass near his frame, but Manning can still play a small role. While Coleman doesn’t need perfect throws or precise separation to succeed, a pass in the right general area is still necessary.
Manning is already drawing Heisman attention, and analyst Brad Crawford notes that the potential for Texas’ offense this fall could be immense with Coleman and other additions:
“Arch Manning is coming off the best outing of his career after outdueling Michigan’s Bryce Underwood in the Citrus Bowl, a postseason showing that mirrored the second-half surge that accelerated his development,” Crawford said. “If Manning takes another step, this Texas offense could rival the best of the Sarkisian era on the Forty Acres — a stretch that already includes consecutive CFP semifinal appearances.”
According to On3, Coleman was the No. 1 player in the transfer portal. He was one of several acquisitions Steve Sarkisian made to upgrade the Longhorns’ 2025 offense.
Coleman recorded 93 catches for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns in his two seasons with Auburn. He averaged 14 yards per catch and finished last season with a 75.2 score in the PFSN College Football WR Impact Metric.
