$2.9 million college football WR predicted to 'easily break' 1,000 yards next season

A wide receiver at a major college football program is expected to break 1,000 yards in 2026.

Auburn Tigers wide receiver Cam Coleman (8) catches a pass as Auburn Tigers take on Alabama Crimson Tide in the Iron Bowl at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. Alabama Crimson Tide defeated Auburn Tigers 27-20. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 2026 NCAA transfer portal cycle in college football has quieted down as January turns to February.

Thousands of players from all across college football entered the portal between the end of the 2025 regular season and the middle of January. With the movement halting in the weeks after the portal's closure, the media is breaking down the activity from the cycle.

Will Backus of CBS Sports compiled a list of the most impactful non-quarterback transfers in the 2026 offseason on Thursday. The first name on Backus' list was former Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman, who transferred to Texas with two seasons of eligibility remaining.

"Coleman, who ranked only behind Jeremiah Smith among wide receivers in the 2024 recruiting class, had his ceiling capped at Auburn, which was hampered by ineffective quarterback play during former coach Hugh Freeze's tenure," Backus wrote.

"His immense talent was apparent, even in that situation. He should easily break 1,000 yards with the Longhorns, and his skill set, as a big-bodied possession type that can catch every ball thrown his way, will pair very well with the speedy Ryan Wingo."

Auburn Tigers wide receiver Cam Coleman (8) celebrates his catch over Missouri Tigers defensive back Stephen Hall (0) | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 6-foot-3, 201-pounder was recruited to Auburn as a five-star prospect by Freeze in 2024. His impact on the Tigers was immediate, catching 37 passes for 598 yards and eight touchdowns over the course of 10 games. He was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team at the end of the regular season.

Coleman's production increased marginally with the Tigers in 2025. He caught 56 passes for a team-high 708 yards and five touchdowns, eclipsing the 100-yard mark in the Tigers' losses to Missouri and Vanderbilt.

Payton Thorne, Hank Brown, Jackson Arnold, Ashton Daniels and Deuce Knight comprised the revolving door of quarterbacks who were throwing to Coleman over the past two seasons. Coleman is a part of a group of wide receivers that includes Eric Singleton Jr., Malcolm Simmons, Horatio Fields and Perry Thompson that entered the transfer portal after Alex Golesh was named Auburn's next head coach.

Coleman is joining an offense with a proven playcaller in Steve Sarkisian and a quarterback surging with momentum in Arch Manning. The Longhorns were winners of seven of their final eight games in 2025, a stretch in which they strung together ranked wins over Oklahoma (23-6), Vanderbilt (34-31), Texas A&M (27-17) and Michigan (41-27).

The Longhorns cleaned out a portion of their 2025 receiving room to bring in Coleman. DeAndre Moore (Colorado) and Parker Livingstone (Oklahoma) both transferred out, the latter of which raised awareness that some movement in the portal is a result of teams looking to upgrade from existing talent as opposed to replacing outgoing talent.