$2.9 Million WR Headed to SEC Powerhouse Was Coaches' Clear Portal Favorite

In the aftermath of the 2026 transfer portal run, there's definitely an effort to peel back the layers and figure out what the chaos of a massive month or so ended up meaning for college football. With teams spending $40 million on rosters, player evaluation is massive and will likely become even more important.

The Athletic recently polled a group of 14 college football insiders and one area of common ground was the top player in the portal. While there were several players mentioned, there was one name that came up again and again.

The Top Portal Player

Former Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman was the runaway favorite as the top player in the portal. One ACC staffer termed Coleman "a freaking monster." Two others, one in the ACC and one in Big Ten, also singled out Coleman first for praise. One of the respondents admitted, "I don't know how much Texas paid him, but he's worth it." Coleman's $2.9 million NIL valuation from On3Sports is seventh highest among college football players.

Coleman has always been a top wide receiving prospect. Rivals' industry rankings placed him as the No. 4 player in the 2024 national recruiting class, and the second best wide receiver in that class, trailing only Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith.

Coleman picked Auburn and despite some massive offensive struggles for the Tigers, made an impact from day one. In two seasons on the Plains, he caught 93 passes for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns. He had four 100+ yard games and three came against SEC competition.

Coleman put up these numbers despite playing for an Auburn team that was 15th in the SEC in QB efficiency last season. The Tigers' 197 passing yards per game was also 15th in the conference, coming in just ahead of MIssouri. Auburn was also last in the league in number of passes gaining 10 or more yards and passes gaining 20 or more yards.

Can Coleman Improve Texas's Situation?

But the 6'3" Coleman is subject to much higher expectations at Texas in his new role. Steve Sarkisian entered 2025 as the preseason No. 1 team, but saw the Longhorns falter and end up missing out on the College Football Playoff. While there has been some tremendous turnover, several of the experts polled by The Athletic singled out Texas for the best or one of the best transfer portal classes in the nation.

The return of QB Arch Manning will do nothing to tamp down the fuel of those seeing potential a potential CFP title ahead. And in Coleman, Manning has added a formidable WR1 to his offensive huddle.