Steve Sarkisian’s biggest addition to the Texas locker room this offseason was landing Auburn’s transfer Cam Coleman through the portal. It wasn’t an easy deal, as the Longhorns competed with some other Power Four giants. At this stage, unknown SEC officials reveal the Longhorns’ massive deal behind Coleman’s transfer.

According to On3’s Andy Staples, several SEC GMs and NIL personnel claim that Cam Coleman is the highest-paid non-quarterback in the 2026 transfer portal. It is expected that his deal was over $2 million, but they never felt like it was a bidding-war recruitment.

“Cam Coleman had a blank check from us. Trust me, he wasn’t going [to Texas] for less. He got paid a ton,” an anonymous GM said. While the other claimed that he used them to raise his stakes at the University of Texas. “I didn’t really get that crazy; he was going to Texas the whole time. I think he was using us to get the price up at UT, which I’m fine with.”

However, the other GM made it clear that Coleman wasn’t interested in other teams, as he always wanted to be on the receiving end of a top QB. “I felt like he was never coming here. I wasn’t really worried about him because it almost felt like a waste of time. Ultimately, he wanted to play where there was a more established quarterback situation.”

If you take a close look, Sarkisian’s Texas battled with Alabama, USC, Texas Tech, and Texas A&M for the commitment of Coleman. He was the No. 2 ranked player and the top wide receiver in the portal. He was also projected as the prized NFL draft prospect for 2027.

The hype for Coleman in the draft was due to the remarkable two seasons with Auburn. Coleman recorded 1,306 receiving yards for 13 touchdowns, receiving the ball 93 times. He had the most production this past season, with a team-high 708 receiving yards for five touchdowns, which includes a career-high 143 yards on 10 catches against Vanderbilt.

He was the No. 5 overall prospect of the 2024 class, joining Auburn. However, Hugh Freeze’s hiring & Alex Golesh’s hiring brought him to the portal. Since Sarkisian lost DeAnte Moore Jr. and Parker Livingstone to the portal, the Longhorns were on the hunt for the receivers. It seems like Texas wanted the best player possible and went all in for Coleman, officially landing him on January 02, spending millions to help Arch Manning at the receiver end.

Steve Sarkisian on Cam Coleman’s recruitment

Steve Sarkisian on Monday, February 23, addressed Cam Coleman’s addition to the Longhorns’ wide receivers room. Sarkisian revealed that he was impressed with Coleman’s play watching the film and then broke the high competition through FaceTime and an invite to the campus.

“Cam has been a fabulous addition so far,” Sarkisian said. “What I knew of Cam Coleman early on was watching Auburn film when I was getting ready to play Oklahoma when they were on the tape. I mean, this guy’s really good. This number eight is really good. When he went into the portal, it was like, ‘Okay, this is probably going to be a priority for a lot of teams around the country.’

What type of individual is this guy? You start making your calls, and you’re calling people that have coached him and coached against him, and we never played Auburn, so I didn’t get a chance to see him in person. Then you start getting on a phone call, and then you get onto a FaceTime and a Zoom, and then you get them on your campus.”

Sarkisian also revealed that ever since he arrived at Texas, he hasn’t been disappointed and wanted to compete for the national championship before hitting the NFL. However, we need to wait and watch how things turn out for Sarkisian and Coleman in 2026.