Auburn's Crown Jewel Recruit Cam Coleman Still Recovering from Shoulder Injury

Auburn's Crown Jewel Recruit Cam Coleman Still Recovering from Shoulder Injury

Auburn's prized 5-star freshman receiver, Cam Coleman, is continuing to recover from a shoulder injury sustained during the Tigers' narrow loss to California. Coleman’s absence was confirmed ahead of Auburn’s 45-19 victory over New Mexico when he was spotted on the sidelines in street clothes during pregame warmups.

Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze provided an update on Coleman’s status, listing him as "doubtful" prior to the matchup against New Mexico.

In Coleman's absence, redshirt freshman quarterback Hank Brown shone in his debut, throwing for four touchdowns and connecting with 10 different receivers—a performance that Coach Freeze praised.

“Anytime you can spread the ball around, you’ve got a happy room. It puts on tape that there’s not just a single guy you can double or do different things to,” Freeze commented after the game.

Freeze also emphasized the importance of strong practice habits leading into game day. He highlighted the effort of receiver Camden Brown, who caught a touchdown in Saturday’s game.

“Hopefully Cam (Coleman) will be back next week to add to that rotation," Freeze noted. "But I always like to see guys who practice well, like Camden Brown. It’s so good to see him score a touchdown because...nobody practiced better than him this week. And that’s the reason he got the start. Because of the way he practiced. So it was good to see a lot of those guys get touches.”

Coleman is currently dealing with a grade II shoulder sprain and is being evaluated on a day-to-day basis as he works toward a full recovery.

The highly-touted freshman has already made an impact this season, recording four catches for 115 yards and a touchdown.

ESPN ranked the former Central High School standout as the No. 1 high school receiver in the nation in last year’s recruiting class. Coleman also earned MVP honors in Auburn’s annual A-Day spring game, tallying four catches for 92 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown.

As Auburn gears up for a challenging SEC schedule, Coleman’s presence will be crucial if the Tigers hope to make a push for a major bowl game this season. The Tigers are set to face Arkansas on Sept. 21 at Jordan-Hare Stadium, followed by a tough stretch against No. 15 Oklahoma and a road game at top-ranked Georgia.