Cam Coleman hasn’t even taken a snap for Texas yet, and he’s already got the attention of the country’s best defensive backs.
That’s what happens when a receiver arrives with the kind of reputation Coleman brought with him after transferring to Texas this offseason following his start at Auburn. He came in as one of the portal’s biggest names, and now he’s lining up with a Longhorns receiver room that also features Ryan Wingo and Emmett Mosley V, all while Arch Manning is the quarterback putting the ball in the air.
With that kind of firepower, opposing secondaries are circling the date. Ohio State cornerback Devin Sanchez made it plain when he looked at the schedule and saw Texas coming up in Week 2.
"My first thought when I looked at the schedule was, ' Cam Coleman Week 2,'" Sanchez said before listing two more talented receivers he'll face this season. "That friendship's gonna be out the window when we're on the field. When the whistle blows, that whole 60 minutes, it's gonna be no friendship."
Sanchez, a sophomore who is viewed as one of the top defensive backs in the country, is expected to be in the mix when Ohio State comes to Austin, likely matched up on Coleman with senior Jermain Matthews Jr. alongside him.
And Sanchez wasn’t backing off the challenge.
"I've gotta go out there, and I've gotta beat you. That's what it is and what it comes with," Sanchez said.
"Whoever I've gotta guard, I've gotta guard. It is what it is, and it's gonna play out how it plays out."
Coleman won’t be the only Texas receiver drawing that kind of defensive attention this season. Wingo and Mosley are also expected to be key pieces in the Horns’ passing game, giving Manning multiple high-end targets to work with.
The schedule doesn’t do Texas any favors, either. In the regular season alone, the Longhorns are set to see several standout defensive backs, including Mississippi State’s Kelley Jones, Oklahoma’s Eli Bowen, LSU’s DJ Pickett, and Ole Miss’s Antonio Kite.
That means the downfield matchups should be there almost every week. But Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has built a roster loaded with talent, and the Longhorns will have answers of their own when those elite defensive backs show up on the calendar.
Texas and Ohio State are scheduled to play on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 6:30 p.m. CT. That’s when Coleman and Sanchez finally get their shot to settle the talk on the field.
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