Tennessee made a massive splash in the transfer portal last weekend by landing a commitment from former Penn State EDGE rusher Chaz Coleman over Ohio State, LSU, and South Carolina. Coleman was an impact player on Jim Knowles’ Nittany Lions defense during his true freshman season in 2025, and fills a much-needed spot on the Vols’ defense after the departures of Caleb Herring and Jordan Ross in the portal.
Despite missing some time in November due to injury, Coleman still played in nine games with the Nittany Lions while racking up eight tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and one pass breakup. He didn’t start any games for Penn State last year, but was looked at as an impact player who was just getting the engine warmed up on his career.
ESPN’s Max Olson ranked the top transfer portal players on Wednesday, counting both the committed/signed players and the ones still looking for their next program. Olsen’s rankings have Coleman listed as the 11th-best portal player in this cycle.
“Coleman is an ascending pass rusher who can keep blockers’ hands off him, turn the corner as a speed rusher and drive tackles when he transitions from speed to power,” ESPN’s Steve Muench writes. “He can work inside when tackles try to take away the edge and he is fluid enough to win with weave moves. He slips blocks, shoots gaps, and closes well chasing from the backside as a run defender.”
Coleman was part of a four-man Penn State haul that Tennessee landed over the weekend, alongside defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam, linebacker Amare Campbell, and safety Dejuan Lane.
“New Vols defensive coordinator Jim Knowles won the battle for one of the most exciting freshmen available in the portal and will get to keep coaching him in Knoxville,” Olson writes. “Coleman joins fellow Penn State transfers Amare Campbell and Xavier Gilliam in making this move and is a nice upgrade right after former top-25 recruit Jordan Ross opted to transfer to LSU.”
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ESPN’s ranking of Coleman at No. 11 is actually the lowest of the three major publications, though. 247Sports has Coleman as the No. 6 overall player and the No. 1 EDGE rusher, while On3 has the former Penn State freshman as the No. 3 overall player and the No. 1 EDGE rusher.
Overall, the 6-foot-4 EDGE rusher earned a 78.5 grade from Pro Football Focus on the season, with an astounding 90.6 game grade in the Nittany Lions’ loss to Ohio State. Coleman led all freshmen EDGE rushers with a 90.6 pass rush grade last season, despite missing some time on the field.
“The ESPN 300 signee wowed Penn State coaches during his first offseason in the program and generated a lot of hype that he had all the tools to develop into a first-round pick down the road,” Olson writes. “Coleman played 144 snaps during his debut season and showed flashes with 12 pressures, 3 TFLs and 1 strip sack against FIU that he returned 39 yards. He also had the sixth-best get-off score among all Power 4 edge rushers in Teamworks’ tracking data. He played a limited role after the Nittany Lions got into their Big Ten slate, but the developmental upside is certainly exciting.”
Coleman will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Coleman is one of 12 transfer players that Tennessee Football has added so far this offseason:
- S Qua Moss (Kansas State)
- OL Ory Williams (LSU)
- CB Kayin Lee (Auburn)
- DL Xavier Gilliam (Penn State)
- K Cooper Ranvier (Louisville)
- LS/LB Blake Howard (EKU)
- LB Amare Campbell (Penn State)
- EDGE Chaz Coleman (Penn State)
- S Dejuan Lane (Penn State)
- WR Gavin Freeman (Oklahoma State)
- DE Jordan Norman (Tulane)
- S TJ Metcalf (Michigan)
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