{"id":199674,"date":"2026-03-11T10:39:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T10:39:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/199674\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T10:39:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T10:39:10","slug":"new-wr-cam-coleman-should-dazzle-with-qb-arch-manning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/199674\/","title":{"rendered":"New WR Cam Coleman should dazzle with QB Arch Manning"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cam Coleman<\/a>\u00a0is a game changer.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

And if things go right this fall, he’ll also be a program changer.<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

Texas football<\/a>\u2019s most prized offseason acquisition made his first appearance in burnt orange Monday morning and early good reviews were expected. The Longhorns’ newest wideout runs like a 6-foot-3, 201-pound gazelle and leaps like he could put on a sky-walking show in the layup line down the street at Moody Center.<\/p>\n

MORE CED: Why Will Muschamp was a great hire for Texas football<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Auburn<\/p>\n

Auburn Tigers wide receiver Cam Coleman (8) catches a deep pass before running it into the end zone for a touchdown as Auburn Tigers take on Texas A&M Aggies at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024.<\/p>\n

Jake Crandall, Advertiser via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Spring football has commenced and reporters got a 35-minute window to watch Coleman and a host of new Longhorns who are out to make sure last season\u2019s omission from the College Football Playoff was a one-off and not the start of a bad-for-business trend on the Forty.<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

\"Auburn<\/p>\n

Auburn Tigers wide receiver Cam Coleman (8) and defensive lineman Malik Blocton (47) celebrate with fans as Auburn Tigers take on Texas A&M Aggies at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. Auburn Tigers defeated Texas A&M Aggies 43-41 in fourth overtime.<\/p>\n

Jake Crandall, Advertiser via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

It was cool to get a first look at Coleman, the former Auburn star who looks more like a basketball player with those skinny ankles than a receiver who has caught 93 passes for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns in\u00a022 career games<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We didn\u2019t get to see Coleman and Arch Manning<\/a> hook up, but head coach\u00a0Steve Sarkisian<\/a> said his franchise quarterback did get in some throws before the scribes were allowed to enter Denius Fields. Manning had minor foot surgery in January and the smart play is to take the crockpot approach when it comes to his recovery.<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

Sign up for Ced’s Corner\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sign up for Cedric Golden\u2019s newsletter<\/a> for hot takes and expert analysis each Tuesday on Texas Longhorns football and beyond. \u00a0It’s called Ced\u2019s Corner, from the mind of the American-Statesman\u2019s resident sports columnist, the 2025 NSMA Texas Sportswriter of the Year.<\/p>\n

Slow and low and the football will taste much better come September. With five-plus months separating the start of spring football from the season opener against Texas State, the public will have to wait.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

The guess is it will be well worth it.<\/p>\n

\"Auburn<\/p>\n

Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman is expected to catch a big payday in the transfer portal.<\/p>\n

George Walker IV\/Associated Press<\/p>\n

Cam Coleman is more than just a great athlete<\/p>\n

When the Horns plunked down around $3 million to land the most coveted pass catcher in the portal, the idea was to start Coleman opposite emerging playmakers Ryan Wingo and Emmett Mosley V with Manning, a sure-fire 2026 Heisman Trophy candidate, looking to pick up where he left on after last season’s second-half heater.<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

Coleman put up some nice numbers in his two years at Auburn, but with all due respect to Tigers quarterbacks Peyton Thorne and Jackson Arnold, his best is yet to come with Manning throwing him the ball. He caught everything thrown his way Monday, though the passes were coming from backup quarterbacks KJ Lacey and Dia Bell, not Arch.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The talent is evident from the jump, but Sarkisian spoke about more than sprinter\u2019s speed and making contested catches when he was asked about Coleman.<\/p>\n

MORE HORNS: Where OL Brandon Baker will play in 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI think the skill set kind of speaks for itself,\u201d Sarkisian said. \u201cBut I think it\u2019s work ethic, the demeanor, his willingness to be coachable and the effort he exudes. A guy of his stature and his ability, I’ve seen it plenty of times where maybe they can coast certain (through) things or not. When this guy’s number is called, he plays and he goes for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

\"Auburn<\/p>\n

Auburn Tigers wide receiver Cam Coleman (8) helps catch balls during Auburn Tigers football pro day at the Woltosz Football Performance Center in Auburn, Ala., on Monday, March 24, 2025.<\/p>\n

Jake Crandall\/Montgomery Advertiser<\/p>\n

Sarkisian said Coleman finished near the front of the pack during half gassers last Friday, which sent a nice message to the locker room. When Coleman \u2014 he of the $3 million price tag \u00a0\u2014 is busting his butt during March wind sprints, the others are apt to follow his example.<\/p>\n

What sets Cam Coleman apart from other wideouts?<\/p>\n

Sarkisian has coached plenty of explosive wideouts, from Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett at USC to a bushel of Alabama stars in Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle and Calvin Ridley. All cashed or are still cashing NFL paychecks. Coleman shares the playmaking gene, especially that innate ability to come down with the ball in traffic when the game is on the line.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

MORE CED: Why Texas needs SEC tourney win over Ole Miss for NCAA comfort<\/a><\/p>\n

Right now, Ja\u2019Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson, a pair of 6-footers, sit atop the food chain when it comes to NFL wideouts. Coleman, with his enormous upside entering his third college season, has the potential to match what they did in college.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) catches a snap in the first quarter of the Citrus Bowl against the Michigan Wolverines at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, Dec. 31, 2025.<\/p>\n

Sara Diggins\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n

He\u2019s three inches taller than the former LSU stars and just like they had 2019 Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow dropping dimes into their laps, Coleman will have an elite quarterback in Manning delivering the pill.<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

WOMEN’S HOOPS: Forward Justice Carlton starred in SEC Tourney<\/a><\/p>\n

Coleman is the type of player who can turn an average throw into a home run because he wins those one-on-ones and the occasional double team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there’s something to be said about balance and body control,\u201d Sarkisian said. \u201cThere\u2019s something to be said about the ability to adjust to the ball and the timed balls on deep balls. They can play long, they can high-point the ball really well. It’s almost like rebounding a basketball and he has a natural ability to do that, which I think he’s gained confidence throughout his years of high school and his first two years at Auburn, where he’s made a ton of plays like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian celebrates with his team after beating Texas A&M Aggies 27-17 during the first half of an NCAA college football game in the Lone Star Showdown in Austin, Texas, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025.<\/p>\n

Ricardo B. Brazziell\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n

Sarkisian has made no secret of his desire to get this offense back in the big-play business after Texas slipped from the nation\u2019s 14th-rated passing offense in 2024 to 44th last year, and it had a lot to do with Manning stepping into a starter\u2019s role in place of the departed Quinn Ewers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

TEXAS BASEBALL: Outfielder Jonah Williams suffers setback<\/a><\/p>\n

Manning and Co. gave us an indication of the potential for greatness when the quarterback went from averaging 218.7 yards passing over the first seven games to 288 yards over the last six. No national championship was ever won in March, but the Horns took a large step back toward the playoff when they signed Coleman.<\/p>\n

For now, it\u2019s all about getting acclimated to a new team, a new quarterback and a new city.<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

The big plays will come soon enough.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cam Coleman\u00a0is a game changer. And if things go right this fall, he’ll also be a program changer.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":199675,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[3230,50005,11511,261,9602,266,3231,27,29,537,536,28],"class_list":{"0":"post-199674","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-texas","8":"tag-arch-manning","9":"tag-cam-coleman","10":"tag-cedric-golden","11":"tag-college-football","12":"tag-columnists-opinions","13":"tag-sec-football","14":"tag-steve-sarkisian","15":"tag-texas","16":"tag-texas-headlines","17":"tag-texas-longhorns","18":"tag-texas-longhorns-football","19":"tag-texas-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=199674"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199674\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/199675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=199674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=199674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=199674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}