Is hype around Cam Coleman warranted? What Hugh Freeze's history says about freshman WRs

AUBURN — As Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze sat in Birmingham on May 6 ahead of the week's festivities — the 41st Annual Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast in Hoover on May 7 and the Regions Tradition Pro-Am on May 8 — a familiar caller ID flashed across the top of his phone.

"Oh, heck," Freeze thought to himself. "What's going on?"

On the other end was five-star freshman Cam Coleman, who enrolled in college early and went through spring practice with the Tigers. The 6-foot-3 wunderkind collected four catches for 92 yards and a touchdown at A-Day on April 6, including a couple of highlight-reel grabs that saw him laying out in the middle of Jordan-Hare Stadium on one play and waltzing into the north end zone on another.

Coleman's call to Freeze was innocuous. He had heard the two were supposed to have a meeting in Birmingham the next day, but he wasn't quite sure and called his coach in hopes of gaining some clarity.

"I said, 'Well, Cam, I don't know. I'm already in Birmingham, but I'm sure somebody can answer that.' That's the way he is. He's just a young kid," Freeze said May 7, according to a video posted by AL.com. "I love that about him because he has this innocence about him and he wants to learn and he wants to be coached. Hopefully, all of those qualities remain."

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Freeze has been blunt about Auburn's need for Coleman to hit the ground running. Relying on freshmen to be contributors is a dangerous game to play. But Coleman, the highest-rated offensive signee in Auburn history, is not an average freshman.

Coleman finished the 2024 recruiting cycle as the No. 3 prospect in the country, per the 247Sports Composite. The only players ranked above him were receiver Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State) and cornerback Ellis Robinson IV (Georgia).

Across 11 seasons as a head coach at Arkansas State (2011), Ole Miss (2012-16), Liberty (2019-22) and Auburn (2023-present), Freeze's teams have signed nearly two dozen receivers out of high school. Coleman's composite rating of .9985 puts him at the top of the list, ahead of Laquon Treadwell (.9925) and Damarkus Lodge (.9817). AJ Brown (.9803) and Perry Thompson (.9799) round out the top five.

"We saw glimpses of Cam (during the spring)," Freeze said. "I'm very careful to say (too much). He's just a freshman. I don't want expectations to overwhelm him or Perry Thompson, because Perry is going to get the same type of treatment. ...

"Maybe they're ready. I've coached some good ones before. Laquan Treadwell was ready as a freshman. Donte Moncrief and AJ Brown and some of those were able to handle that. Every sign indicates that Cam will be able too also, but it's good to have some maturity around him."

Six players have logged over 100 receiving yards under Freeze as true freshmen: Treadwell in 2013 (608), Brown in 2016 (412), CJ Daniels in 2020 (220), Markell Pack in 2014 (173), Demario Douglas in 2019 (136) and CJ Yarbrough in 2019 (124).

The hype around Coleman seems warranted. His recruiting ranking settled at what it did for a reason, and his showing at A-Day only confirmed his talent.

But at the end of the day, he's still a true freshman.

Treadwell and Brown are among the best receivers Freeze has ever signed, and even their production in their first collegiate seasons were modest in comparison to some of the expectations being placed on Coleman.

"After the spring game, (the hype grew around Coleman). 'He's incredible!' He was, and I think he will be. But at the same time, let's take it day by day and be careful with it," Freeze said. "I do think realistic expectations breed frustration in people. I think we just need to slow down a little and let some development happen."

Freeze added: "Cam is just a happy, go-lucky young kid right now and probably doesn't even know how talented he is. He still calls me all the time."

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football: What Hugh Freeze's history says about Cam Coleman