Auburn Profile: Freshman Wide Receiver Cam Coleman

What will Cam Coleman's impact be?

Auburn Tigers wide receiver Cam Coleman (8) celebrates his touchdown catch during the A-Day spring game at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, April 6, 2024. / Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY

Auburn needs impact recruits and none will come into the 2024 football season with higher expectations than a young man living less than an hour away from the Plains.

Auburn fans should be excited for what wide receiver Cam Coleman will do for the Tigers. His impact will be immediate.

Size: 6-foot-4, 198 pounds

Location: Phenix City (Ala.) Central

Recruitment: Originally committed to Texas A&M. Former Auburn quarterback Dameyune Craig built a tremendous relationship with Coleman as an Aggies assistant coach. If A&M did not fire Jimbo Fisher and Craig did not depart, there’s a good chance the talented receiver would be in College Station this fall.

Coleman is a consensus top-10 recruit. His highest ranking is No. 3 overall by On3.

Best Attributes: Separation. Coleman has deep speed, i.e. continuing to accelerate well into his route and pull away from defensive backs before the football hits his hands. His speed turns modest gains into long touchdowns. That’s just the beginning.

Coleman’s twitchiness – for a tall player – is rare. His long legs would leave one to assume that lateral movement is not the same as a slot receiver, cornerback, etc. Quite the contrary, Coleman will take a slip screen and weave his way through the defense. Highlight catches are also important to note.

Few receivers possess a similar catch radius. Coleman is built like a Power 4 wing player that a college basketball coach call a play for him to receive an alley-oop. 

Whether a back-shoulder fade, go route, or a deep post, Coleman’s length makes it hard for defenders to reach the football before he does. His leaping ability and hand-eye coordination usually finish a play with style.

Notes: Coleman is now familiar with the Auburn offense as an early enrollee. Even against Auburn’s quality secondary, Coleman is no stranger to making big plays. Simply put, he’s a difference-maker.

2024 Expectation: Coleman is about as rare a wide receiver prospect as one will see. With all his physical attributes combined with already being accustomed to Auburn’s offense, expect Coleman to be the Tigers’ best downfield receiver. It’s not just Coleman catching bombs either.

He will change how teams defend the Tigers by making safeties leery of crowding the line of scrimmage; that point alone opens up the Tigers’ running game. 

Coleman’s presence will also make it hard for opposing defensive coordinators to focus on tight end Rivaldo Fairweather, wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith, and the rest of Auburn’s pass catchers.

Indeed, Coleman is a special talent. Auburn fans should be excited to see him play for the Tigers this fall.