Texas Has a Cam Coleman Decision That Could Make Life Easier for Ryan Wingo

The Texas Longhorns have some of the top talent across the board on their roster in the country, leading to the big-time expectations and projections that the team will carry into the 2026 season.

The Longhorns have elite talent at the most important positions on the football field, from under center with quarterback Arch Manning, the offensive line with Trevor Goosby, and even flipping to the other side of the ball with edge rusher Colin Simmons.

And one of those position groups where the talent level might be at its richest is at the wide receiver room, where the Longhorns should have one of the biggest advantages in all of college football with the top two players in the wide receiver room.

Cam Coleman, Ryan Wingo Duo Nightmare Fuel for Opposing Defenses

Auburn Tigers wide receiver Cam Coleman (8) attempts a stiff arm on South Alabama Jaguars safety Wesley Miller (1) as Auburn Tigers take on South Alabama Jaguars at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

All eyes will obviously be on the big-time addition of Cam Coleman once the Longhorns hit the field for the very first time for the start of the 2026 season. And for good reason, with Coleman having the prototypical size and frame to be an elite WR1 for any offense.

However, not to be forgotten in the Texas wide receiver room is junior Ryan Wingo, who spent all of the 2025 season as the Longhorns' No. 1 option in the passing game. And now the Texas offense will have two wide receivers who could be top options in an offense on the field at the same time, giving Steve Sarkisian a major advantage.

Opposing secondaries and defensive game plans will undoubtedly be built to stop Coleman first and foremost, meaning those defenses will try to keep multiple eyes on him. The defenses Texas faces all season long will long to keep a safety over the top of Coleman and play bracket coverage to limit his impact.

“I think both of those guys are so accustomed to always having the safety cheating toward them," Sarkisian said back in spring practice. "There are times when, if you’re only going to play with one safety, you can only cheat so many ways. If you’re going to play with split safety, surely that helps their run game.”

With the attention of two players on Coleman, that will leave Wingo in multiple advantageous matchups, usually against a defense's second-best cornerback and in one-on-one situations, which Wingo has the speed to beat and take advantage of.

And a big factor in how dangerous the duo of Coleman and Wingo can be is the creativity of Sarkisian as a play caller and a play designer and how he uses his wide receivers in multiple different ways.

While Wingo was the Longhorns' X-receiver in 2025, the wide receiver lined up all over the field, from the X to the Z-spot and even sometimes in the slot. And for many defenses, their first instinct was to highlight where Wingo was, and that will be different now with Coleman.

The talent of Coleman and Wingo allows Sarkisian to get as creative as possible, with Wingo's ability to be lined up all over the place and Coleman, who will also be asked to do the same. The ability allows Sarkisian to call a play multiple times but give the defense a different look, with Coleman and Wingo being able to switch spots.

Sarkisian will also be able to draw plays that give opposing defenses plenty of challenges. Two-wide receiver sets of Coleman and Wingo or a bunch formation with the two involved in the action would cause plenty of confusion and could be big plays waiting to happen with the talent of both wide receivers.

And those two potential sets, the involvement of Emmett Mosley V, the rest of the wide receiver room, the tight ends, and the running backs, could be just the tip of the iceberg of Sarkisian's creativity in 2026.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google