Question: what’s a quarterback’s best friend? Answer: a wide receiver that can catch everything he throws. That is what’s expected of the top receivers in any recruiting class. No matter the quarterback, scheme, or defense, they have to be able to produce at any moment. Those expectations await Kevin Coleman.
The five-star recruit is ranked as the number two receiver in the 2022 class in the 247sports composite and 19th overall. He has listed offers from over 30 schools, including Florida State, Alabama, Texas, Oregon, and Arizona State. Coleman is also is ranked as the top player in the state of Missouri.
Coleman is a little small, as he is listed at 5’11” and 170 pounds on 247sports. However, he is dynamic with the ball in his hands, as he scored 12 touchdowns in four games played last year. On the opening play of his Junior highlights, Coleman caught a short pass, avoided being taken down from behind, and outran everyone for a touchdown.
Coleman has great speed that allows him to outrun most defenders on the field. Later on, in his Junior highlights, he lined up at quarterback, pulled the ball at the last second, and was barely touched on his way to the endzone. His speed comes in handy when he’s running deep routes. Once he gets past the corner defending him, no one can catch him. There were many times on his highlights that he ran by the secondary on deep routes.
St. Mary’s find creative ways to get Coleman to maximize his abilities. In his Junior and Sophomore highlights be in the backfield, lined up at quarterback, caught the ball on a screen, and was on the return team. All of that led to Coleman being one of the most dangerous weapons in high school during that time.
Coleman is not just a great athlete, he is also a great receiver. He can high point the ball better than most receivers in high school. On the second play of his junior highlights, he turned around, located the football, and timed his jump perfectly for a touchdown catch. Coleman has great concentration when catching the football. In his sophomore highlights, the ball was knocked in the air, and he kept his eyes on it. The play resulted in a touchdown.
Coleman is a hard player to tackle. Multiple times on his highlights there was a struggle to get him down on the ground. Despite his small size, he has some power that allows him to break tackles.
Coleman will have to put on some weight while in college. The question will be, can he put on 15-20 pounds and still maintain his speed. In his highlights, many of his routes were either screens or deep ones. He has to become more comfortable running more than just those routes.
Coleman is a top-ranked receiver because of everything he can do on the field. He catches the ball well and is dangerous with the ball in his hands. He will have an immediate impact on whoever he signs with.