Major college football program joins sweepstakes for No. 1 transfer portal player

A Power Four college football program has inserted itself in the race to land the top-rated player in the NCAA transfer portal.

Nov 15, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian and team gesture after the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The NCAA transfer portal officially opens on Friday for all college football players searching for new schools to compete for in 2026. It will remain open for the next two weeks.

In the weeks following the conclusion of the 2025 regular season, thousands of college football players made the decision to play for another program next season. While quarterbacks have been a more dominant topic of conversation with the portal, there are plenty of other significant offensive skill players on the move.

One marquee name in the 2026 portal cycle is former Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman. He will enter the portal with two seasons of eligibility remaining at his second school.

Hugh Freeze recruited Coleman to Auburn as one of the highest-rated wide receiver prospects in the 2024 class. He is projected by all recruiting services as the No. 1 overall recruit in the NCAA transfer portal for the 2026 offseason.

Coleman appeared in 10 of Auburn's 12 games in 2024. He caught 37 passes for 598 yards and eight touchdowns his freshman season. He was named to the All-SEC Freshman Team that season.

Auburn featured Coleman in every game of the 2025 season. He grabbed 56 receptions for a team-high 708 yards and five touchdowns.

Auburn Tigers wide receiver Cam Coleman (8) | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With such high prospects, Coleman is expected to attract attention from major college football programs across the country. The offers for Coleman are expected to hover around $2 million from any potential buyers.

One school that has worked its way into the mix to land Coleman in the 2026 offseason is Texas. Mike Golic Jr. mentioned the idea of the Longhorns jockeying for Coleman on a recent edition of Bleacher Report's "College Football Show."

"Steve Sarkisian is great at getting wide receivers the touches they want to look good for the NFL. Arch Manning, after being left for dead after the early portion of the season, looked like one of the best quarterbacks in college football the back half of the year," Golic said. "I think you combine the quarterback with the offensive playcaller, I think you have a good setup there."

As Golic mentioned, Sarkisian has a strong track record with wide receivers as an offensive mind. DeVonta Smith won a Heisman Trophy at Alabama with Sarkisian as the Crimson Tide's offensive coordinator. That offense featured another future NFL talent at wide receiver in Jaylen Waddle.

Wide receivers have gone to the NFL throughout Sarkisian's tenure at Texas. AD Mitchell, Xavier Worthy, Matthew Golden and Isaiah Bond are among the Longhorns' wide receivers who have reached NFL rosters in Sarkisian's tenure in Austin.