Former Auburn receiver Cam Coleman had a rough afternoon in Texas’ 20-17 win over Tennessee on Rocky Top, and the box score barely tells the whole story.
Coleman finished with one catch for 30 yards, and even that came on a play that might have drawn pass interference if the flag had gone the other way. Instead, the call that mattered came on Tennessee safety TJ Metcalf, who was flagged for roughing the passer after hitting Arch Manning.
That was about as much as Coleman got involved. By 4:36 left in the third quarter, he was still being tended to on the sideline. He came back into the game, but Texas never looked his way again in the fourth quarter.
The quiet day fit a larger pattern. Coleman has four touchdowns through four games, but every one of them has come against Group of Six opponents. He scored twice in his Texas debut against Texas State in Week 1, then added two more against UTSA.
The one big nonconference hiccup came against Ohio State, when Coleman had a strange interception bounce right up to Buckeyes safety Jaylen McClain. That play could have put Texas deep in Ohio State territory early in the first quarter, but instead it helped feed into a rough first-half stretch. Texas still stormed back for a 24-23 win at DKR Stadium, but Coleman’s play in that game was part of the story.
Right now, he has not looked like the player Texas expected when it made him the market’s highest-priced transfer. Ryan Wingo and Emmett Mosley V have been more visible pieces of the offense, while Coleman is still waiting for his turn to really take over.
That doesn’t mean Texas and Coleman are in a bad place. Auburn’s offense has plenty of problems, but the receiver room is not one of them. The USF transfers who arrived with Coach Alex Golesh, offensive coordinator Joel Gordon, and quarterback Byrum Brown have produced, with Keshaun Singleton, Chas Nimrod, and Jeremiah Koger leading the way in orange and blue.
For Coleman, the talent is still there and the runway remains open. He may not be putting up the numbers he wanted yet, but he’s still in the best possible spot, with a chance to finish the 2026 season strong in Austin if injuries don’t get in the way over the next two months.
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Vanderbilt now gives the Tigers a quick chance to settle things down, and the stakes are simple for the assistants who have drawn the most scrutiny. If Auburns defense keeps leaking yards or the offense continues to stall on the ground, the dissatisfaction around the program is only going to get louder, putting even more immediate heat on a staff that already knows patience is thinning. [Read more 🡒]