Thompson coach Mark Freeman knew all about Central-Phenix City wide receiver Cam Coleman entering Wednesday’s Class 7A state title game.

“He’s an elite player,” Freeman said. “You have to tackle him. It’s not like tackling an ordinary guy.”

Coleman, the top prospect on AL.com’s revamped A-List of top seniors in the state, proved that one final time as a Red Devil. His 73-yard catch-and-run in the fourth quarter gave Central the breathing room it needed to hold on to a 21-19 victory over the Warriors.

“The corner was playing about five yards off,” he said of the pivotal play. “I broke it down in front across his face, caught the ball and looked up field. I saw green grass and just started running. All glory to God.”

The 6-foot-3, 180-pound Coleman finished the night with five receptions for 143 yards and the back-breaking touchdown. He was named the game’s MVP. The performance came less than a week after he flipped his longstanding commitment to Texas A&M to Auburn.

“Really when Jimbo Fisher got fired and they fired my position coach (Dameyune Craig). It was a go,” he told 247 Sports/Auburn Undercover after the game.

Auburn assistants Cadillac Williams and Marcus Davis were in Tuscaloosa on Wednesday night to watch Coleman perform. He finished the season with 61 receptions for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns and is certainly in the conversation as a contender for the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Mr. Football Award.

“Cam just has that explosiveness that really shows up when the ball is in the air or after it is in his hands,” John Garcia Jr., national college recruiting analyst for Rivals, said this week on Sports Talk 99.5 FM in Mobile. “He hasn’t always been polished so you wonder how technical is he, but in the last year we’ve seen a huge jump as a route runner. He is becoming a more complete player, and you could make an argument he maybe is the freakiest receiver in this class and, for those who follow recruiting, this class is sort of known for the wide receiver position.”

Garcia Jr. said Coleman’s late flip to Auburn is critical in more than one way for head coach Hugh Freeze and the Tigers.

“It is still a huge deal for Auburn to have pulled it off,” he said. “From the zoomed-out macro, you are talking about the No. 5 recruit in the country, No. 1 player in Alabama. Of course, it’s a big deal for him to pick Auburn.

“But, if you go hyper local, Central-Phenix City and Auburn haven’t been this cohesive relationship most would expect. For them to not only get over that hump with a big-time recruit but also to do it with maybe the best recruit to come through there in a long time is a really big deal and another notch for Hugh Freeze and his staff and particularly Marcus Davis.”

Coleman adds to an already impressive Auburn wide receiver class that includes fellow 5-star Perry Thompson of Foley, Malcolm Simmons of Benjamin Russell and Bryce Cain of Baker. Thompson, who flipped from Alabama to Auburn this summer, is another big frame (6-3, 202). The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Cain is one of the fastest receivers in the state.

“Perry is a little bigger, a little more physical and a little more linear (than Coleman),” Garcia Jr. said. “I think he’s built to play on the outside and play that vertical game. Coleman has a little more flexibility to what he can do and certainly putting those two from a physical standpoint is a lot for anyone to contend with. That duo together is quite the grab for Auburn and flipping them to get them on board makes it that much sweeter.”

Early Signing Day is set for Dec. 20.