Texas Hype Train Hits Full Speed After Arch Manning’s Viral Take on Cam Coleman

Arch Manning clearly feels the Texas Longhorns' significant NIL investment in Auburn Tigers transfer receiver Cam Coleman was worth every penny. Manning gushed about every aspect of having Coleman as a teammate on the Forty Acres during his media availability on Thursday in Tampa.

At the Tampa Marriott Water Street hotel during the final day of 2026 SEC Football Media Days, Manning called Coleman a "great teammate" who "works really hard." Manning, along with his blindside tackle, Trevor Goosby, and projected top 2027 NFL draft pick, EDGE Colin Simmons, were Steve Sarkisian's three player representatives.

"The good thing about Cam and how we built our relationship is he always wants to throw. He always wants to meet extra. And I think anytime you get a guy like that, it's easier for me to become close with. He's also a good guy. He can joke, and we can go eat. And I'm excited to have him on my team. That's for sure," Manning said.

Coleman has impressed those in Austin with an improved physique and a strong rapport with Manning from the jump. In Lee County, Alabama, the Coleman experience was much different. Much of that was on Hugh Freeze's laissez-faire culture, though.

"I'm not saying Cam Coleman isn't talented. He's talented, but he didn't practice hard. Like, these guys, it doesn't work in this sport," On3's Jake Crain told me back in January about what went wrong with Coleman in Auburn.

Manning is getting the best version of Coleman possible. That should inspire confidence in the WR room being vastly improved over last year's, which was still a strength for the program.

Cam Coleman is the Crown Jewel of Texas' Loaded WR Room

Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman receives a pass to pull in a touchdown past Vanderbilt cornerback Martel Hight | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Even with Coleman's relatively modest production on the Plains, at least relative to his expectations as the highest-rated offensive Auburn recruit in the Tigers' history as a program, the Phenix City, Alabama, native is still considered the second-best 2027 WR draft prospect behind the Ohio State Buckeyes' Jeremiah Smith.

Coleman had 93 receptions, 1,306 receiving yards, and 13 touchdowns in two seasons at Auburn. That's nowhere near what most expected from the former Central Red Devils star. While Coleman will have plenty of competition in Texas, from recently re-classified now-freshman 5-star Fort Worth star John Meredith, returning WR1 Ryan Wingo, Emmett Mosley, and Sterling Berkhalter, plus multiple high-ceiling former recruits like Kaliq Lockett and Jermaine Bishop, he should still stand out as Manning's favorite target out wide. Coleman might even come close to matching those two-year totals in one campaign.

Coleman has never had a QB of Manning's caliber. Or anything close. Neither Jackson Arnold nor Payton Thorne was even able to definitively lock down the Tigers' starting job over the past two seasons. Much less approach 3,163 yards and 26 touchdowns like Manning did last year.

The stage is set for Coleman to finally live up to his personal potential on the Longhorns. By that same token, Sarkisian finally has the most talented offensive cast he's ever had and should be closer to bringing Texas to the promised land than ever.

That synergy could mean everything in 2026. Manning is evidently aware of that.

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