Everything we heard on Day 4 of Auburn fall camp
Cam Coleman's acrobatics, Champ Anthony's job and Jeremiah Wright's progress were among the hot topics after practice Monday.
WR Cam Coleman (Austin Perryman/Auburn Tigers)
As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.
But that number might be a little too low for Cam Coleman.
On Saturday, during Auburn’s third day of fall camp, Coleman made an incredible, over-the-head, one-handed catch that lit the Tigers’ corner of the Internet ablaze.
Two days later, after Day 4 of practice, Auburn players were still talking about it.
“This end zone, first practice field, back-shoulder,” linebacker Austin Keys said, pointing toward where Coleman’s spectacular grab happened. “The dude’s got bunnies. It’s something I’ve never seen in my life. It’s just a different generation of stuff. Cam is crazy.”
Countless words have been written, spoken and posted about Coleman since his arrival at Auburn. The highest-rated offensive player in program history has been a sensation from the first spring practice, and he became the first Tiger to ever win A-Day Offensive MVP as a true freshman.
And sometimes, just a few words will do the trick for Coleman.
Just ask Robert Lewis, the veteran transfer wide receiver from Georgia State. When someone asked Lewis on Monday afternoon who was standing out in a new-look wideout room, his initial answer spoke volumes.
“Cam Coleman,” Lewis said. “Of course.”
Coleman’s acrobatics were just one of the many talking points after Day 4 of Auburn football fall camp. There wasn’t a media practice viewing window on Saturday or Monday — those will come back Tuesday and Wednesday this week — but six different Tigers were available for interviews.
Here’s everything we heard Monday afternoon inside the football performance center, from the standout receivers to some new looks on the defensive side of the ball.
WR Cam Coleman (Austin Perryman/Auburn Tigers)
Cam Coleman’s standout spring is rolling right into the fall
As Hugh Freeze has cautioned several times this offseason, Coleman is going to make mistakes as a true freshman.
He’s had missed assignments and dropped balls. He’s still learning the offense, and no one has seen the young-for-his-class Coleman even play a down of competitive college football yet.
But the good continues to outweigh the not-so-good when it comes to Coleman.
“(On) 50/50 balls, it’s really 60/40, 70/30 with him,” nickel back Champ Anthony said Monday. “Post safety has to help.”
As an early enrollee, Coleman was able to go through a crucial set of spring practices. That head start could pay dividends in just a few weeks, as he’s been able to build chemistry with Payton Thorne and the quarterbacks for several months now.
Teammates say Coleman’s progress from the start of 2024 goes beyond just making “a spectacular catch every practice,” as Keys noted.
Those who have to line up against Coleman on defense see improvement in areas that don’t always show up in viral social media posts.