Keon Coleman was a surprise entry to the transfer portal last weekend and here are five college football teams that could use him.
When Michigan State wide receiver Keon Coleman entered the transfer portal last week, it was a surprise. It was also easy to see that the college football suitors were going to be far and wide.
And on Saturday, Hayes Fawcett tweeted that 59 college football programs have reached out to Keon Coleman following a season in which he caught 58 passes for 798 yards and seven touchdowns.
https://twitter.com/Hayesfawcett3/status/1655000160391385090
Some college football team will be getting a player with WR1 potential and looking around the country, there are more than a few teams in need of a player like Keon Coleman.
So where will he wind up? Here are my top five landing spots (in no particular order) for the former Michigan State standout.
USC Trojans
USC is intriguing because the Trojans aren’t shy about chasing big-time talent in the transfer portal. It worked last year with Jordan Addison and they already signed Dorian Singer, a guy that had over 1,100 yards last season in the Pac-12 with Arizona.
But you can never have enough talent at wide receiver and Coleman would still be an upgrade, even if he was just the No. 2. It would give USC two wideouts with the ability to be a No. 1, and with Caleb Williams throwing the ball, it has to be a little intriguing.
USC is one of the teams that reached out to Keon Coleman already and we’ll see if things get serious at all, but I wouldn’t be shocked if the Trojans were in the mix here.
Oklahoma
Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners are another college football team that has reached out already to Keon Coleman and there have been rumblings about mutual interest according to JD Pickell of On3.com.
It makes sense. The Sooners have been trying to upgrade their wide receiver position and have added multiple transfers already including Andrel Anthony from Michigan and Brenen Thompson from Texas.
However, those guys aren’t the proven commodity that Coleman is at this point. Oklahoma was lacking a true No. 1 wide receiver last season and adding Keon Coleman to the mix, could give the Sooners a dynamic receiving core in 2023.
Dillon Gabriel is also a solid quarterback and that could be a selling point for Coleman, who isn’t likely to go somewhere that has a question mark at QB. The Sooners don’t and that should help.
LSU
Brian Kelly and LSU have been one of the most active teams in the college football transfer portal over the past couple of seasons.
The Tigers landed one of the best transfer classes again and following a 10-win season that saw them win the SEC West in 2022, Kelly and company aren’t messing around, especially with Jayden Daniels back for another season as the starter.
Daniels was a Heisman contender last season and could be this year too. Adding a 6-foot-4, 215-pound wideout like Coleman would be huge. It would give LSU someone to pair with Malik Nabers and remember, Koleman is from Baton Rouge.
The Tigers are also very active in the NIL market, so if that is going to play a big factor, LSU should be in a solid position.
Really, LSU is one of the teams that checks every box you’d think a player like Coleman would want — NIL, a chance to win, a national spotlight, and a brighter NFL future — plus he would get to return to his home state. It makes a lot of sense.
LSU reached out but we’ll see if the Tigers get one of his visits.
Florida State
The Seminoles are poised for a huge season under Mike Norvell. At least the expectations are that it could be the best Florida State football season since 2016, or maybe even since 2013.
Florida State won 10 games last season and if there was a 12-team playoff a year ago, they would have been dangerous. That’s what I like about the new format is that it allows teams that get hot to still have a shot to make a run.
But what I like about Florida State’s chance to get Keon Coleman is they could sell him on being the final piece. The Seminoles do have some talented pass-catchers. Johnny Wilson is back after catching 43 passes for 897 yards last season.
Florida State also added talented 2023 wideout Hykeem Williams, but Coleman would be the cherry on top of a really good group. Having to defend Wilson who is 6-foot-7 and Coleman who is 6-foot-4 and dynamic, would be a major headache for opponents.
Jordan Travis is an elite quarterback and a number of elite transfers have already chosen Florida State as a destination. Beyond that, Coleman took a visit to Florida State this weekend and that tells you the Noles are a serious contender. They are also a perfect landing spot.
Auburn
Another obvious fit for Keon Coleman would be the Auburn Tigers. One selling point for Auburn is that his former starting quarterback Payton Thorne will lead the Hugh Freeze offense.
Thorne probably had his own reasons for leaving the program and they could be the same as Coleman’s. There was some talk about Thorne losing the grip in his starting job, but Auburn was quick to land him and he seems destined to start for the Tigers.
Obviously, like every team in the SEC, NIL won’t be an issue for the Tigers, after all, they just landed Thorne who was arguably the top quarterback available.
The idea of Keon Coleman to Auburn isn’t just smoke either. The talented wideout is on campus at Auburn today so that tells you he’s serious about the Tigers.
I’d be surprised if Coleman up and decided this weekend. He wanted to test the market and it seems like he’ll take some time unless he’s found a perfect fit already.
The transfer portal is always hard to predict, but I feel good about Keon Coleman landing at one of the five college football teams on this list.