Texas has bigger offensive problems than one receiver, but Cam Coleman keeps sitting right in the middle of them.
After the mess against Florida, the Longhorns are leaving too many questions unanswered on that side of the ball. They managed 100 or fewer rushing yards for the third straight game, and the second half has been a recurring issue in losses. For a team with this much talent, that’s a glaring red flag.
Coleman is one of the clearest examples of what Texas still isn’t fully unlocking. The Longhorns paid up for him, bringing in the highest-rated wide receiver in the transfer portal, and the production has been real in one sense: he’s tied for the SEC lead in receiving touchdowns with six. But the week-to-week usage hasn’t matched the buzz.
He flashed against Oklahoma, topping 100 yards and finding the end zone. Against Florida, though, he faded back down the board with three catches for 18 yards and a nine-yard touchdown.
That kind of swing has become part of the story. Coleman’s target volume has bounced around too much to feel stable.
In weeks 1, 3 and 5, he was targeted 21 times. In the other three games, that number dropped to 13.
Right now, he’s Arch Manning’s red-zone hammer more than a consistent presence between the 20s.
There’s also a defensive reason for some of the quieter stretches. Coleman draws serious attention, with corner and safety help following him around, which opens things up for Ryan Wingo and Emmett Mosley. Steve Sarkisian said that’s not unusual for a transfer adjusting to the system.
“For Cam, it's kind of not so uncommon at this stage as a transfer coming in to not have 40 catches in our offense," Sarkisian said last week. "Now, can that start to elevate? I think we saw that with AD Mitchell, we saw that with Matthew Golden in their transformation in their first year in the system, how it started to take off in the second half of the season."
Still, Texas needs more. Coleman’s lack of volume is part of the problem, and Arch Manning isn’t off the hook either after missing him a couple of times against Florida. If the Longhorns want this offense to get moving again, getting Coleman involved has to be near the top of the list.
Ole Miss offers another chance. The Rebels just turned in a strong defensive showing against Missouri, but they’re still allowing 236 passing yards per game. That gives Texas a real opening, and Coleman looks like the player who should be ready to take it.
Sarkisian said his play-calling has to stay creative. He doesn’t need every answer by Saturday, but he does need Coleman to matter more in the offense.
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