AUBURN — Cam Coleman shined in his first appearance Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium, gaining four catches for 92 yards and a touchdown as Auburn football's offense outplayed its defense on A-Day. helped break it.
Coleman, an early enrollee who graduated early so she could attend the Tigers' spring practice, will end her day dancing at the Central Phenix City prom.
He's 17 years old and looked like one of the best players on Pat Dye Field during coach Hugh Freeze's second spring scrimmage on the Plains. Perhaps even the best player.
“I think he's going to change us,” Freese said of Coleman. “…he just chases the ball and thinks every ball is catchable….He's very teachable and coachable….When he knows what to do, he is really, really talented.”
Coleman, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 188 pounds, is the second-highest rated recruit to sign with the Tigers in the modern recruiting era. His 247Sports Composite rating of .9985 is second only to Byron Cowart (.9987) in the 2015 class. That score ranks higher than Michael Dyer (.9961), Cadillac Williams (.9936), Bo Nix (.9856) and every other offensive recruit to ever wear an Auburn jersey. It has been.
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Coleman's talent was on full display Saturday when he scored a touchdown on one-on-one coverage in the fourth quarter to make it a one-possession game.
“It happened so fast that I can't even explain it in words,” Coleman said. “I'm like, 'Oh my God.' But it's a huge joy. It was just fun. It was just amazing and a great feeling.”
The touchdown was thrown by Peyton, a potential starter after an impressive spring practice competing with redshirt freshman Hank Brown, redshirt sophomore Holden Geliner and true freshman Walker White. It was Thorn.
Thorne's best season statistically came in 2021, when he completed 60.4% of his passes for 3,240 yards and 27 touchdowns at Michigan State. That season, he had the luxury of throwing to future Green Bay Packers receiver Jaden Reed, and in 2022 he turned to Keon Coleman. Coleman is a highly anticipated draft pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
“I can tell you from experience, it’s really great,” Thorn said of having an elite receiver. “Two receivers told me it's not 50/50, it's 80/20 (when it comes to catches). You can quote J-Reed on that, but Keon said the same thing. I know you were thinking about it. That's great. It's really great.”
“You love to play with confident receivers and (Coleman) is confident and backs that up. He's going to continue to get better and better and I'm just going to watch his journey.” So I'm excited. I've only been with him for a little while. “It's only been one year, but I think he's going to be a special player. ”
Coleman's debut in front of Auburn fans couldn't have been better. The only target he failed to catch was with a defender all over his body, and Freeze later hinted that it may have been pass interference. His 39-yard touchdown grab was the highlight, but he started the day by taking the ball 49 yards deep down the field while falling to the ground.
But don't expect him to talk about it all night.
When asked if he planned to show off his accomplishments at prom, Coleman replied, “No, they'll meet them eventually.” “I'm not just trying to brag.”
Richard Silva is the Auburn Athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or at X (formerly Twitter name @rich_silva18).
