Conflicting reports about Keon Coleman visit lead to transfer circus

Rumors circulated on Friday afternoon about a potential Keon Coleman visit to Auburn. Those reports have since been refuted.

The hits keep coming for Michigan State football regarding Keon Coleman — or so we thought.

Michigan State transfer WR Keon Coleman expected to visit Auburn on Sunday https://t.co/zK9bI0z6Po via @on3sports

— Auburn Live (@AuburnLiveOn3) May 5, 2023

As we all expected, Payton Thorne announced his commitment to Auburn. Less than two hours later, the unexpected happened. Coleman was reportedly set to visit Auburn. Considering the rumors of Coleman transferring due to his dissatisfaction with the Michigan State quarterback situation, this made little sense.

This leaves us with even more questions and no answers.

Michigan State was blindsided by losing QB1 and WR1 to the portal and having them both transfer to Auburn would have raised a few questions. Considering that Hugh Freeze’s track record before the era of the NIL is a bit murky, claims of tampering certainly hold weight. Looking at his firing from Ole Miss, Freeze is quite comfortable with the use of “bag men.” Coleman is the top Power Five wide receiver in the portal, which makes Auburn’s interest quite valid.

Coleman’s interest in Auburn, however, has since been disputed by the star receiver and multiple follow-up reports.

One of the most popular beliefs when Coleman transferred was that he was sick and tired of having an injured Thorne throw the ball to him.

Justin Thind, an MSU insider, compounded on this, as he pointed out that one reason Jayden Reed was not a first-rounder in the NFL draft was his lack of solid quarterback play at MSU. If Coleman was worried solely about draft stock, why would he transfer with Thorne to the SEC? See, it made no sense.

It can be argued that Colman is chasing the best competition, and the SEC will give that challenge. If Coleman is betting on himself, he will have his hands full of the likes of Kool-Aid McKinstry and Malachi Moore of Alabama, JK Johnson of LSU, and Tony Grimes of Texas A&M.

Coleman will either become a first-round candidate next year or be returning for a senior season. Coleman’s version of betting on himself has yet to be seen. A version that would include the same quarterback who managed to struggle to hit Coleman’s 6-foot-4 frame last season would’ve been interesting, to say the least.

This offseason drama will keep the entire college football community at the edge of their seats. With each day that passes, it appears that Coleman will not be returning to Michigan State.

UPDATE: It now looks like Keon is refuting the Auburn visit report.

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— ???? ??????? (@keoncoleman6) May 5, 2023

Interesting.