It's no secret that Cam Coleman was far and away the No.1-ranked wide receiver in the transfer portal, and he'll definitely be one of the top pass-catchers in the nation with Arch Manning at the helm in 2026. His presence in Austin will provide the team with much more than that, though.
His vertical skills, both from an athletic standpoint and a schematic standpoint, will stress defenses non-stop opposite Ryan Wingo next season. Where his value to the team could be somewhat overlooked right now is in the run game for the Longhorns.
Yes, he's proven time and time again that he's a willing blocker, but his value in this area comes from the simple fact that he's a true game-changer downfield. Defenses can't simply sit back and key on the run all game long, which is what opponents did in 2025. Yes, the offensive line was a huge problem, but it wasn't the whole problem.
Cam Coleman is going to help Texas RUN the football.https://t.co/0Z8kZfKg1L pic.twitter.com/TnNJDf5swM
— J.D. PicKell (@jdpickell) January 31, 2026
Opposing defenses were able to constantly stack the box with 8-9 players because they knew that Texas couldn't really threaten them over the top. Steve Sarkisian could only try to stretch the field horizontally in an attempt to pull defenders out of the box with screens and quick passes to the boundary with Ryan Wingo and Parker Livingstone. Yes, Livingstone was a "deep threat", but Arch Manning couldn't hook up with him consistently because of the pressure up front.
Cam Coleman will constantly be one of the best players on the field and one of the top vertical threats in all of college football in 2026. This means that defenses will always have to be wary of that, which should result in lighter boxes in the future.
Overall, Texas' rushing attack should be much better this year and not just because of the additions at running back and along the offensive line. Coleman is going to play an enormous role in the equation as well.