AUBURN — It wasn't hard to spot the five-star receiver.

Auburn football opened spring practice Tuesday, and reporters received a 15-minute window to watch a portion of it. The WRs ran routes against air, but the size and stature of freshman Cam Coleman stood out even without defenders trying to slow him down.

Coleman, listed at 6-foot-3 but may be taller, is the second-highest-rated recruit to ever sign with the Tigers. Auburn coach Hugh Freeze expects him to make an impact early.

“Cam Coleman just makes us look different," Freeze said Thursday. "Can’t tell you how excited I am about him. I don’t want to put too much expectation on him as a freshman because he is just a freshman. ... But man, when you watch him run around out there, we’ve improved ourselves. He’s naturally gifted.

"I expect him to play as a freshman. How well is he going to do as a freshman? We’ve had one practice, so it’s really hard to say. But boy, he’s talented and smooth and tracks the ball as well as any that I’ve seen."

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Coleman's presence should allow the Tigers, who averaged 162.2 passing yards per game in 2023, to be more capable of moving the ball through the air in 2024.

"Cam Coleman is obviously a huge name around here, and he's going to be in the future as well," quarterback Payton Thorne said. "He's been great so far. As a true freshman early enrollee it's tough, it doesn't matter how good you are, it's going to be tough early. He's just getting his feet wet and he's going to keep getting better every practice he learns. He works his butt off so I have no doubt that he's going to be an outstanding player for us."

Thorne added: "We’ve run some one-on-ones in the winter, and we’ve seen some good stuff. Even just running routes on air, it’s like, 'OK, these guys have great body control, good hands, understand how to go high-point the ball.' Cam Coleman is 6-4 and can jump out the gym and runs 4.4, maybe less than that when he gets to the combine in a couple years."

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: Cam Coleman: Why Auburn football freshman will play in Year 1