Cam Coleman is giving Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns offense something they lacked during the 2025 season after committing to UT Austin earlier this month: an "alpha" wideout who will dominate games through the air with the sport's most promising NFL draft prospect under center.
As CBS Sports' Will Backus writes, Coleman will get the chance to be the high-usage, big-play receiver that the Indiana Hoosiers' Omar Cooper Jr. and the Ohio State Buckeyes' Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith got to play this past season with IU's Heisman winner, Fernando Mendoza, and OSU's Heisman candidate Julian Sayin.
As Backus notes, Hugh Freeze didn't give Coleman that; instead giving him Payton Thorne and Jackson Arnold, the latter of whom has already upped and left for the UNLV Rebels after just one season on the Plains.
"Texas didn't really have a true "Alpha" receiver in 2025, so getting one as quarterback Arch Manning enters his second full season as a starter was imperative. The good news for the Longhorns is that they got the best receiver available. Coleman, who ranked behind only Jeremiah Smith among wide receivers in the 2024 recruiting class, had his ceiling capped at Auburn, which was hampered by ineffective quarterback play during former coach Hugh Freeze's tenure. His immense talent was apparent, even in that situation. He should easily break 1,000 yards with the Longhorns and his skill set, as a big-bodied possession type that can catch every ball thrown his way, will pair very well with the speedy Ryan Wingo," Backus wrote.
Cam Coleman will be what Ryan Wingo couldn't be for Arch Manning
While Ryan Wingo had 50 catches for 770 yards and seven touchdowns, he didn't provide the can't-miss mismatch that Coleman is about to. Coleman had a deep contested catch rate of 81.8%; the problem was that he didn't have a QB at Auburn who could hit him on fades, posts, and flags very often.
Wingo could be devastating on screens this season as defenses have to contend with deep Coleman routes and the threat of Arch taking it himself. Perhaps he can be what Eric Singleton Jr. showed flashes of, but couldn't consistently be because of Arnold's struggles.
The Longhorns are likely about to boost Coleman to a status in the 2027 draft he wouldn't have reached in East Central Alabama. While many Tiger fans would probably say Byrum Brown could produce similar stats, the spotlight in Austin will be brighter than it ever could've been in Auburn.
Coleman is probably about to shine, and he'll make his teammates better within Steve Sarkisian's offense. Alex Golesh and Joel Gordon can't have hurt feelings after what Coleman put up with, though he wasn't innocent himself, under Freeze.