"He beat up some teams, inflated his numbers": Snubbing Auburn WR, college football insider casts doubt over Cam Coleman

The 2024 college football recruiting class featured plenty of talent at the wide receiver position, including Jeremiah Smith, Ryan Williams and Auburn wideout Cam Coleman.

Coleman was vastly overshadowed by his freshmen counterparts, who took turns stealing the spotlight from one another in 2024, but quietly posted a stout freshman campaign.

Coleman, who was ranked as the No. 5 overall recruit in the country and the No. 2 wideout in the class, came on strong down the stretch of the season. He posted 22 receptions for 306 yards and six touchdowns in Auburn's final three games.

Despite a strong showing in his freshman campaign, one college football analyst isn't sold on Coleman as a cornerstone of the Tigers' offense.

On Monday afternoon, Greg McElroy shared his skepticism on Cam Coleman due to a lack of consistency from the Auburn wideout for much of the 2024 campaign.

"I felt like (Cam Coleman's) best was saved for the very end, but we really need to see him do it against top-tier competition," McElroy said on 'Always College Football. ... "He beat up some teams and inflated some numbers, but didn't necessarily perform at his best against top-quality competition."

To McElroy's credit, Coleman was quite inconsistent for most of Auburn's season, entering Week 12 versus ULM with just 15 catches for 292 yards and two touchdowns. Despite his slow start, the rising freshman shone down the stretch versus two Southeastern Conference rivals, Alabama and Texas A&M.

Coleman finished his freshman season with 37 catches for 598 yards and eight touchdowns.

Paul Finebaum praises Auburn entering 2025 season

Cam Coleman and the Auburn Tigers are ramping up their efforts coming into a crucial 2025 campaign. Early into the offseason, the Tigers are drawing attention as potential contenders in the SEC.

On Tuesday afternoon, college football insider Paul Finebaum shared his praise for Auburn entering the 2025 season on "The Paul Finebaum Show."

"It's pretty upbeat," Finebaum said of the energy surrounding Auburn's football program. "I think Hugh Freeze has done a phemomenal job recruiting ... I think this is a turnaround year."

Finebaum also touched on the quarterback acquisition of Jackson Arnold, who is entering the Tigers' offense as the projected starter after a solid season at Oklahoma in 2024.

He completed nearly 63% of his passes for 1,421 yards and 12 touchdowns with three interceptions in limited action a season ago. On the ground, Arnold added 150 carries for 444 yards and three additional scores.

Arnold will lead Hugh Freeze's offense in a must-win situation for the coach. Entering his third season at Auburn, Freeze has posted a record of just 11-14 over his first two years.