Watching Cam Coleman catch passes from Arch Manning this season should be way more fun than sifting through the star wide receiver's tape from Auburn last year.
War Eagles fans will be the first to admit how frustrating it was to watch Coleman torch his defender at the line of scrimmage and get wide open downfield, only to have the pass sail over his head countless times. That shouldn't be a problem in Austin this season, following Coleman's transfer to the Longhorns, where he'll join the presumptive No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft class in Manning.
Coleman's individual talent has been obvious from the moment he stepped on the field at the college level, but lackluster quarterback play has limited his production, and prevented him from living up to his lofty potential. He still managed to show highlight-reel flashes of that upside, it's hard to be a consistent producer at receiver when the ball's not getting to you on target.
Listed at 6-3, 201 pounds, Coleman has all the physical traits NFL scouts value in a potential WR1 at the next level, and if Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith wasn't eligible, the Longhorns' new top target would be the clear-cut No. 1 prospect in the 2027 wide receiver class.
Coleman wasted little time making his presence felt in his new home, making plays like this during spring practices at Texas earlier this year:
Manning will be chasing consistency of his own this season after a roller-coaster 2025 campaign, his first as the full-time starter in Austin. He's showed a ton of positive progression down the stretch last year, though, and if he picks up where he left off, opposing defenses will be in big trouble.
That's especially true now that Coleman is in the mix, and you can bet Manning will take full advantage of his talents early and often.
Coleman's ability to stretch the field, both vertically and after the catch, should allow Manning and the Longhorns to create tons of explosive plays through the air this season. He's also a dominant presence above the rim in the red zone, using his leaping ability, ball skills, body control and hands to routinely make eye-popping catches that put points on the board.
Though his accuracy and ball placement were spotty at best early in the 2025 season, Manning showed marked improvement late in the year, and should benefit from yet another offseason of refinement. He should be a much more polished version of himself coming out of the gate this year, and it shouldn't take him long to develop confidence and trust that anything he throws Coleman's way is going to result in something positive.
Manning and Coleman are both top-10 prospects on my early board for the 2027 NFL Draft, and both will be highly dependent on one another if they want to live up to the high level of expectation their respective talents have set for them. If they play off what the other brings to the table, they're in for a massive 2026 campaign, one that could end in a national title for the Longhorns, spring-boarding them into next year's draft process as two of the biggest names in the class.
