Major NIL deal reportedly not 'deciding factor' for No. 1 transfer portal player

The 2026 NCAA transfer portal has opened for all college football players seeking different surroundings. The portal opened on Friday and will remain so until Jan. 16.

Over 3,000 college football players have chosen to transfer to new programs for the 2026 season. While the headlines have focused on quarterbacks in the 2026 transfer portal cycle, many important offensive skill players are also on the move across the college football landscape.

The most important of these offensive skill players in the transfer portal is former Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman. He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining at his second school.

The 6-foot-3, 201-pounder was recruited by Hugh Freeze to Auburn in the Tigers' 2024 recruiting class. Coleman appeared in 10 games during his freshman season, grabbing 37 receptions for 598 yards and eight touchdowns. He was voted to the SEC All-Freshman Team by his coaches that season.

Coleman saw an increase in production with the Tigers in the 2025 season. He made 56 catches for a team-high 708 yards and five touchdowns. Auburn finished the season 5-7, and Freeze was let go following the Tigers' home loss to Kentucky.

Cam Coleman during Auburn's game against South Alabama. — Auburn Tigers wide receiver Cam Coleman (8) celebrates his touchdown | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Auburn hired former USF head coach Alex Golesh as its next head coach in late November. Coleman is one of a bevy of players from Auburn's 2025 roster who have entered the transfer portal following Golesh's hiring.

Coleman was a consensus five-star prospect in his initial recruitment to Auburn, ranking as the No. 2 receiver in the class of 2024. As a transfer, Coleman has the No. 1 overall ranking of receivers in the 2026 portal cycle.

While Coleman has been linked to several major programs in college football and will likely receive considerable compensation at his next stop, NIL packages are not among his top priorities in the portal. Pete Nakos of On3 reported that Coleman is visiting a handful of Power Four programs but is not likely to make a decision solely based on monetary value.

"There is confidence in multiple camps that they can offer the best opportunity for Coleman," Nakos said. "Money is not going to be the deciding factor in this recruitment, even though sources have said his deal could be in the $2 million range."

Texas A&M was the first of a trio of visits Coleman had set in the portal. He was committed to the Aggies for four months before flipping to Auburn on Early Signing Day in the 2024 recruitment cycle. Additional visits include stops at Texas Tech and USC, a pair of programs looking to stock up on wide receivers after losses in the offseason.