Explaining the hype around Auburn freshman WR Cam Coleman: 'He is a freak show'

Auburn’s offense is getting quite the injection in Cam Coleman, a five-star freshman wide receiver out of Phenix City, Alabama. It’s the kind of addition from their recruiting efforts that could make a major impact immediately down on The Plains to On3’s Phillip Dukes and Andy Staples among others.

Staples and Dukes spoke about Auburn on Friday and, after discussing the Tiger offense, eventually reached the topic of Coleman. Staples set the stage for Dukes by prefacing what kind of prospect that he thinks he clearly is based on his skillset and the energy around him.

“I’ve explained Jeremiah Smith to the people. Cam Coleman is in the same bucket here of freshman receiver who can come in and immediately make an impact,” said Staples.

“I’m trying, Dukes, to remember the last time I’ve heard people at Auburn this excited about a receiver,” Staples thought. “I just don’t feel like there’s been this level of excitement, really? I’m thinking back to even when I was in college and I don’t remember that.”

That’s when Dukes gave his full evaluation of the top-five prospect. He went through everything about him that makes him into what he says people would refer to as ‘a freak show’. It also came with a comparison to another top-notch receiver out of the SEC that succeeded in the NFL.

“AJ Green – he’s AJ Green all over again to me. When I talk to the DBs who are at Auburn, they’re like, ‘Hey, man. He’s a freak’. The vernacular in recruiting in college football is, when you talk to coaches, they say freak show. He is a freak show,” said Dukes. “‘He can do everything. He has a great 40 time, he makes the contested catches, you see the one-hander right there. What people don’t realize is he’s smart and he works really hard. He’s a weight room junkie.”

As for Staples being unable to recall a Tiger freshman like this, Dukes shared the thought of someone like KJ Britt. He was a player who set a tone even from a young age, which is what he expects Coleman to do as well in the building.

“The last guy that I heard that had a story like that at Auburn was KJ Britt. KJ Britt is a true freshman, he goes in. There’s a defensive lineman in the locker room, they pat the guys on the head like, ‘Alright, son’. When they get to KJ Britt, he slaps his hand away and says, ‘Bruh, you are not my dad’ and just looks him dead in the eye,” recalled Dukes. “They say he grabbed and choked the guy. From that moment on, they knew that KJ Britt was one of those guys. You see him doing well in the NFL.”

“(Coleman) is also one of the types of guys that he’s not going to say a whole lot but, when he does say something, people listen. He’s going to be a guy that impacts the locker room because of how he plays and how he carries himself,” Dukes said. “When you’re able to command respect at a young age, that’s not just for that year. That sets the template, that sets the kind of momentum going forward, and sets the culture for what’s to come. I think Cam Coleman was not just a great on-field addition but what he adds off the field is going to be amazing.”

Coleman, a product out of Central High School, was a Five-Star+ prospect in 2024 according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He rated as the No. 4 recruit overall and the No. 2 WR to only Smith at Ohio State. That made him by far the top signee for the Tigers from their No. 8 recruiting class.

In just one spring at Auburn, Coleman has been living up to that to the extent he can. Look no further than the fact that he won the MVP at A-Day. He did so after catching four passes for 92 yards and a score in his debut at Jordan-Hare.

Coleman looks to be a player that will heavily affect the offense in his time at Auburn. That’ll make him one that could also end up taking the program to the place they want to be in Dukes’ opinion.

“He’s one of those guys. He was a have to have-type guy,” said Dukes. “He can raise the level of play, even though he’s a wide receiver. He can raise the level of play across the entire offense. I think a lot of people make a lot about saying, when we talk about football – Do you win championships because of your receivers? He’s the type of guy that helps you win a championship.”