Two ways Cam Coleman immediately makes the Texas offense better

Third way is to go on the Gerry corndog diet gain a hundred pounds and become Kelvin Banks 2.0 

3 hours ago, Bunk Moreland said:

My theory is that Sark’s circle of trust for WRs makes it very difficult for them to develop at Texas. We know that Sark doesn’t rotate his receivers very often and has a very tight circle of trust. This means that it’s extremely difficult for young receivers to get on the field and get meaningful reps. This, in turn, requires Sark to go to the portal to get proven experience at the position, which further impedes the young players’ development and keeps them off the field. It’s a self-reinforcing cycle.

Worthy started as a true freshman and became a first round draft pick. Whittington started as a sophomore, as did Deondre Moore. Wingo played in every game his freshman year and was WR1 in his sophomore year. Livingstone played a lot his sophomore year. It has more to do with ability and football IQ.

Golden came to Texas and became a first round pick. Mitchell was drafted in the second and Whittington in the 6th.

Prior to Sark the last Texas WR drafted in the first round was Roy Williams in 2004. Since then, the only Texas WR drafted as high as the 2nd round was Limas Sweed in 2008.

Sark coached wide receivers Jaylon Waddle, DeVonta Smith, Jerry Jeudy and Henry Riggs at Alabama who were all 1st round draft picks. And Devonta Smith was a Heisman winner.

Sark’s track record of putting WRs and QBs in the NFL is impressive.

Watching his highlights, he is very unique. He's carving his own path to receiver legendary status. 

10 hours ago, rgvhorn80 said:

Who’s going to address the elephant in the room? Why is Texas constantly having to go to the portal to address WR?

Dumb question. Why wouldn’t we? Get the best available ANY chance you can at ANY position with the portal. 

Also, and has been mentioned, teams will have to play with a lighter box which will help create holes for the more explosive running backs! 🤘🏻🤘🏻

14 hours ago, Jeff Howe said:

There are two ways Cam Coleman should positively impact the Texas offense when the former Auburn wide receiver, who committed to Steve Sarkisian's program on Sunday, takes the field in 2026.

The first way is Coleman's contested catch ability down the field.

According to Pro Football Focus, Coleman faced 11 contested targets on passes thrown to him 20 yards or more down the field as a sophomore. Coleman caught nine of them, contributing almost exclusively to the 10 receptions for 323 yards and three touchdowns he recorded on deep balls.

For context, Coleman’s production on contested deep balls in 2025 was better than Lil’Jordan Humphrey's (seven receptions on 11 targets) or Colin Johnson's (six receptions on 10 targets) in 2018. Coleman was also better than what the offense got from Matthew Golden (seven receptions on 10 targets) in those situations in 2023.

Given Arch Manning’s prowess throwing the ball down the field (26 for 65 for 934 yards with 13 touchdowns, three interceptions and a PFF grade of 91.5 on pass attempts of 20 yards or more beyond the line of scrimmage) without a receiver with Coleman’s ability to win 50/50 balls, the 2026 offense could feature the best downfield passing attack of the Sarkisian era.

The second is Coleman’s ability to win against man coverage.

Coleman’s PFF grade of 79.1 against man coverage (14 receptions for 163 yards and two touchdowns on 18 targets) was better than any Texas wideout posted in 2025 (Kaliq Lockett’s grade of 76.7 came on just five targets, making Parker Livingstone’s grade of 70.1 the closest to Coleman among the receivers who were regulars in the rotation). The only Longhorn wide receiver with a better single-season grade against man coverage under Sarkisian is Xavier Worthy’s 82.3, which he earned as a freshman in 2021, when he caught 14 balls for 319 yards and four touchdowns on 21 targets against man coverage.

When Coleman hits the field for his first practice, he’ll immediately become the best wideout Sarkisian has had at Texas on 50/50 balls and arguably the best he’s had at being able to win against man coverage. What the Longhorns lost with the departures of Livingstone (a threat down the field) and DeAndre Moore Jr. (arguably the best wideout in Chris Jackson's room working against man coverage when healthy) has been replaced with one player (one with the potential to be selected in the top half of the first round of the NFL draft).

Two areas that have been hit or miss for the Texas passing attack under Sarkisian should be remedied upon Coleman’s arrival to the extent that they become strengths for the Longhorns in what should be Manning's last season at the controls.

 

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Excellent read, Jeff.

Is Arch accurate enough to throw the 'out and away' balls that only a WR of his stature can snag?  I think he is, but.....

14 hours ago, JimR6 said:

Don’t forget Lockett when considering the WR rotation.

Or Bishop.

Great article @Jeff Howe

I'm truly excited about his contested catch ability. He was fun to watch at Auburn. Defense in the SEC is no joke and the conference is loaded with good DBs. Having a WR that will snag contested balls with high percentage wins is a big deal for Arch.