Former Auburn Tigers receiver Cam Coleman is not looking like the early star of the Texas Longhorns' spring practice. Instead, that honor goes to Willis, Texas, product Jermaine Bishop, who comes in as a 5-star receiver from Texas UIL Class 6A, the creme de la creme of Lone Star State High School Football.
As Saturday Blitz's Nicholas Rome notes, Bishop is looking like a shoo-in to get snaps and, more importantly, targets from Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning during his dry-run for the NFL this fall in Austin.
"Given all the stars on Texas' roster, you'd expect the talk of camp to be around how good new additions like Cam Coleman and Hollywood Smothers are. Instead, it's true freshman Jermaine Bishop who's drawing high praise from reporters and even former Dallas Cowboys star Dez Bryant. Bishop already looks the part of a star wide receiver, and it's going to be hard to keep him off the field even in this loaded wide receiver room," Rome wrote.
Cam Coleman may have tough time justifying massive NIL deal from Texas
Coleman could be part of a very special Texas team this fall if Steve Sarkisian has finally nailed the mix for Manning in his second attempt with Arch as QB1. The Longhorns' offensive line is suspect, but Manning's mobility should cover up for deficiencies there.
He could also fail to live up to an NIL/rev-share payout that exceeds $2 million and could be approaching $4 million by virtue of playing with such talented teammates in Texas' receiving corps. Between Bishop and Ryan Wingo, the latter of whom already has established chemistry with Manning, Coleman may simply not receive enough snaps to be that kind of star receiver. He'd better hope he can make the most of the targets he does get, for his NFL future's sake. Coleman has already done damage with his underperformance on the Plains.
It's not like the University of Texas is hurting for money. Still, with the volatility of the U.S. dollar in this moment in time, the Longhorns face a longshot to get their money's worth on Coleman this coming year.