$2.9 million WR viewed as most influential transfer player in college football

Texas opened the 2025 season with the program’s first-ever No. 1 ranking in the AP preseason poll, carrying national championship expectations into the year.

Instead, the Longhorns finished 10–3 and outside the College Football Playoff picture, a clear shortfall relative to their preseason billing.

Quarterback Arch Manning showed flashes of why expectations were so high, finishing the year with 3,163 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, while adding 399 rushing yards, 10 rushing scores, and a 61.4% completion rate.

Ryan Wingo, meanwhile, led the receiving corps with 54 catches for 834 yards and seven touchdowns, providing steady production, but his numbers also underscored a larger issue: the lack of reliable options behind him.

No other Texas receiver topped 40 receptions, and the team’s second- and third-leading wideouts, DeAndre Moore Jr. (532 yards) and Parker Livingstone (516 yards), both departed via the transfer portal.

With all eyes now on 2026, On3’s Ari Wasserman identified Cam Coleman, Auburn’s leading receiver who recently transferred to Texas, as one of the most influential moves of the entire transfer-portal cycle.

"If I could like pick one player who was available to build my team around, of all the transfers, I think I would pick Coleman," Wasserman said.

"Combining who the best player overall is in the portal with what Texas was missing last year and what Texas brings back next year, you just added a killer of a receiver to a quarterback who showed really great signs of growth at the end of the year, an offensive line that should be better, and a team that should be in the conversation for the national championship this off season."

Was Cam Coleman the single most influential move in this year's transfer portal window? pic.twitter.com/bvuOPk5Azv
— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) February 9, 2026

Across two seasons at Auburn, Coleman compiled 93 receptions for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns, highlighted by a 2025 line of 56 catches for 708 yards and five scores, including a season-high 10-catch, 143-yard performance against Vanderbilt.

As a true freshman in 2024, he totaled 37 receptions for 598 yards and eight touchdowns, earning SEC All-Freshman honors.

Coleman announced his transfer commitment to Texas on Jan. 11, 2026, after visiting multiple finalists, including Alabama, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech, and entered the portal ranked as the No. 1 wide receiver and a top-five overall player regardless of position.

Auburn Tigers wide receiver Cam Coleman. — Auburn Tigers wide receiver Cam Coleman (8) celebrates his touchdown as Auburn takes on Mercer | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

He also emerged as one of the most marketable athletes in college football, carrying a reported NIL valuation of approximately $2.9 million, which now ranks No. 9 nationally among all NCAA athletes.

While Texas’ 2025 passing game leaned heavily on Wingo, the offense lacked consistent high-volume targets beyond him. At 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Coleman brings a bigger, more physical perimeter presence capable of winning in the red zone and stretching the field, two areas where Texas lacked an established second option.

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