Texas’s Cam Coleman Is Here to Help

If Texas fans were keeping a lid on their enthusiasm for transfer wide receiver Cam Coleman, that went out the window on Aug. 10.

On that day more than two weeks ago, a reporter asked Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian if he had a player comparison for Coleman. Sarkisian responded by bringing up ex-Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones, one of the best of his or any generation.

“Growing up, I did watch Julio Jones a little bit,” Coleman told Sports Illustrated Monday. “But no, it feels good to be compared with how much I keep working. I really just gotta keep working for real.”

Coleman spoke to SI on behalf of Celsius, as one of the energy drink’s four NIL representatives for the 2026 season alongside Ohio State wide receiver Chris Henry Jr., Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, and Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood. Coleman may paradoxically be the least famous of that quartet and the most important, as he has force-multiplier potential for Texas—status he doesn’t take for granted.

“My dad and my mom always [said] stay humble and stay hungry, because just as easy as God gave it to you, he could take it away,” Coleman said.

Choosing Texas

Until this year, Coleman’s football life had played out almost entirely within the Alabama side of the Columbus, Ga., metro area. He played high school football in Phenix City, Ala., and committed to play a 45-minute drive away in Auburn after a brief dalliance with Texas A&M.

With the Tigers, he amassed 1,306 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns in two seasons—only to transfer to the Longhorns on Jan. 11, as Auburn swapped coach Hugh Freeze’s regime for Alex Golesh’s.

Coleman quipped that the biggest adjustment to playing in Austin as opposed to Auburn was “[having to leave] a little earlier, because of traffic,” but make no mistake about it: He’s dead serious about helping the Longhorns make it back to the CFP.

“Me and [quarterback] Arch [Manning], we’ve been throwing a lot together this offseason, trying to build a chemistry. Just him telling me where he wants me to be on certain plays, then telling him where I want the ball on certain routes,” Coleman said.

All eyes will be on Manning after a shaky season relative to the expectations that greeted him in 2025. The nephew of college and pro quarterback greats Eli and Peyton Manning posted a relatively pedestrian 12 touchdowns against five interceptions through seven games before catching fire in the back half of the season.

In a sense, Manning and Coleman have been brought together by fate and the machinations of the transfer portal in order to unlock each other.

“We’ve been hanging out with each other more, getting to know each other’s history, how everybody grew up and stuff like that,” Coleman said of both him and Manning specifically and Texas more broadly. “Really just becoming closer off the field.”

A motivator for Coleman: the chance to give back

The wide receiver’s recommended Austin restaurant: Eat Wit Yo Eyez, a Cajun ghost kitchen off I-35 (“It’s an interesting name, but it’s very good, though”). His TV show of choice for winding down: Stranger Things.

However, when it comes to NIL money, Coleman isn’t just focused on enriching his own free time.

“Really just being able to help others and the ability to give back,” Coleman said. “That’s really been meaningful to this point.”

At Auburn, for instance, Coleman put on a free youth football camp in his hometown of Phenix City in July 2025.

“Growing up, I always liked to help others,” Coleman said. “But now I’m able to help others more. The homeless, whoever’s in need. Really just helping others.”

PODCAST: Listen to SI’s college sports podcast, Others Receiving Votes, hosted by Pat Forde, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s college YouTube channel or on SI TV.

Add us as a preferred source on Google