Every Texas Longhorns player tied to the 2026 season is carrying real pressure, but Cam Coleman stands out as the one with the most to lose. Texas took a step back in 2025 after back-to-back College Football Playoff Semifinal appearances, the roster cost a fortune to assemble, and Steve Sarkisian is in a fragile spot if the Longhorns underperform again.
Arch Manning might be the obvious name people point to, but the case against him is different. He has had NFL draft buzz since he left Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, so his future security is already baked in.
Coleman is the different story. If Manning is Texas’ potential top quarterback, Coleman is the receiver who needs to become his clear WR1, and his path to Austin comes with a lot more on the line.
His time at Auburn is where the lost ground started. Coleman, a Phenix City, Alabama, native who starred at Central Red Devils, was sold a situation with the Tigers that Hugh Freeze was never really positioned to provide. Freeze kept reworking his quarterback plans, benching Payton Thorne early in the 2024 season and later benching Jackson Arnold for Ashton Daniels in the final major personnel move he made before getting fired midway through the 2025 season.
That’s the part Coleman can’t reclaim. For now, most of the frustration around him gets blamed on Auburn, but that cushion is about to disappear. In Austin, he’s going to face the simple version of the question: what can you actually do now?
Coleman has enough talent that he is unlikely to fall too far in the draft, but there is another name hanging over him - Keon Coleman. Keon went in the second round and has struggled to turn all that talent into production in the pros, and NFL front offices will remember that.
Cam Coleman’s overall body of work through two seasons is better, but he has not been the same scoring threat Keon was. Both players have rare athleticism, yet at some point the league wants something more concrete than traits.
If Coleman spends this offseason improving his body and building real timing and understanding with Manning, that can change fast. If he does not look like that kind of player in college games, scouts won’t assume the next level will fix it for him. His draft stock will slide with the disappointment.
He is not going to run out of chances in that scenario, but he would be headed into the winter taking a pay cut for next year. That is the danger here: Coleman has the most to gain, and the most to lose, if he does not finally turn the promise into downfield dominance and become a true first-round NFL draft prospect.
In Other News...
Texas Awaits Massive Decision From Elite In-State Sarkisian Target
Landen Williams-Callis is set to make one of the biggest recruiting calls in the state on Saturday, with the Richmond Randle High School star choosing between Texas, SMU, Texas A&M, Houston and Missouri. The five-star running back has spent his prep career piling up records and accolades, and his rise has made him one of the most closely followed prospects in Texas high school football history.
For Texas, the interest is obvious. Sarkisian and his staff have chased elite in-state talent aggressively, and Williams-Callis sits near the top of that board as the No. 3 running back in the country. His announcement will be carried live by Dave Campbell's Texas Football, adding another layer to a decision that already feels like a major swing moment for the Longhorns' 2026 recruiting picture. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Just Got An Unexpected Late Offseason Roster Opportunity
A late offseason roster wrinkle has opened up for Texas, and it could give the Longhorns another look at a group of familiar names from the 2022 recruiting class. A federal ruling in Colorado created the possibility that players who used their final year of eligibility last season can be eligible again, which immediately put a few Texas veterans back into the conversation as the program continues sorting out its 2026 depth picture.
For Texas, the practical impact is simple: there are several players who could wind up back in Austin if their pro paths do not stick. Burke, Hutson, Guilbeau and Finkley are among the Longhorns whose situations are worth tracking, especially since some have already signed undrafted free agent deals and may still choose the NFL route if they make final rosters. It is not a certainty, but it is the kind of late-summer development that can quietly change a teams roster math in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Roster Crunch Leaves Former Contributor In A Brutal Spot
Chendall Weavers path back to Texas has hit a hard roster wall. The former Longhorns guard was granted an extra year of eligibility, a development that would normally create a chance to continue where he left off, but the numbers on the roster have already closed that door. Texas has moved on from that possibility as Sean Millers team fills out its scholarship chart for the upcoming season.
The final spot went to Marcus Spears Jr., whose accelerated arrival gave Texas the last available opening on a 15-scholarship roster. With that in place, Weaver has to look elsewhere even after his previous contributions to the program, a reminder of how quickly roster management can change in the modern game and how little margin there is once a team is full. [Read more 🡒]