Former Auburn receivers Cam Coleman and Malcolm Simmons looked very comfortable in their new homes on Saturday.
Week 1 bore witness to resounding wins for each of their new schools. Both Coleman and Simmons found the end zone at least once during their Lone Star State debuts.
Coleman ended his day with three receptions for 70 yards, two of those catches resulting in touchdowns, during Texas's dominant 59-7 win over Texas State at DKR Stadium in Austin. His first score capped off an explosive four-play, 56-yard drive and took place right as the Tigers were walking onto the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, some 928 miles away.
Coleman continued building his rapport with Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning with the table-setting show. The two could be due for many more touchdown passes together over the next few months if Saturday was any indication.
Meanwhile, Simmons had just one catch for the Red Raiders, but it was a 64-yard reception off a wheel route from Will Hammond that he took to the house. That touchdown ran the score up to 33-3, and Texas Tech eventually won 33-10 against Abilene Christian.
It was a dominant display from two receivers who showed flashes on the Plains, but never had the offensive support to play their best ball. Whether Simmons has that in Lubbock, after Brendan Sorsby was declared ineligible and now has Hammond battling Thomas Castellanos in the quarterback room for the QB1 job, is unclear. Coleman definitely has that in Manning.
Either way, Auburn is also in a better place without Hugh Freeze.
Auburn shouldn't have FOMO about the 'Freeze Four'
It's a shame that Coleman and Simmons are thriving somewhere else. It's the cost of doing business, though. Simmons and, especially, Coleman come at a high price.
Alex Golesh didn't want to pay that price, knowing he could bring several of his USF receivers with him to Auburn to reunite with Byrum Brown instead. We don't know if Coleman and Simmons would've meshed with Brown. We know that Brown has established chemistry with Keshaun Singleton, Jeremiah Koger, and Chas Nimrod, though. That showed in Week 1.
After the Tigers' 17-16 win over Baylor, no one has any regrets. Well, no one besides maybe Freeze.
That might be giving Freeze too much credit, actually. He still thinks he wasn't the main reason Auburn fired him last November, instead believing it was Jackson Arnold's fault that he's out of a job.
What about Perry Thompson and Bryce Cain?
Perry Thompson, the other "Freeze Four" receiver who left Lee County, Alabama, didn't record a catch or any stats for Minnesota during a 59-7 win over Eastern Illinois this past Thursday. He was MIA for the Golden Gophers.
Bryce Cain, the only "Freeze Four" receiver to stay at Auburn, had a 25-yard run out of the backfield against the Bears in Atlanta. Cain primarily practices as a defensive back these days, but he turned back the clock to his Baker days in the open field with his blazing speed.
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