Tennessee went out and attacked the transfer portal this offseason with the addition of 20 new players. The Vols added quite a bit of depth and competition on the defensive side of the ball, but still addressed some key offensive needs as well. Tennessee also sured up its special teams unit, including the addition of a new starting kicker in the wake of Max Gilbert’s departure.
ESPN’s Max Olson named former Penn State EDGE rusher and five-star portal prospect Chaz Coleman as Tennessee’s best portal pickup during the cycle. Tennessee had to win a fiercely contested battle to win over Coleman, but he’ll reunite with former Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Jim Knowles during his stint on Rocky Top.
247Sports had Coleman listed as the No. 7 overall portal prospect and the No. 2 EDGE rusher from the transfer cycle.
“Coleman, the No. 4 edge in ESPN’s transfer rankings, played only 144 snaps in his true freshman season at Penn State but flashed big-time potential with 12 pressures, three TFLs and a strip sack against Florida International that he returned 39 yards,” Olson writes. “He had to put on 25 pounds during his first offseason with the Nittany Lions to get up to 250. Now it’s time to take a step in his development and prove he can become a three-down player in the SEC.”
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Coleman isn’t the type of transfer prospect who has put up a year or two of league-leading statistics before switching schools. Instead, he’s a bit of a raw player, with only one (less than that counting injuries) season under his belt. But make no mistake about it, he’s got all the potential in the world to develop into an aggressively good player for the Vols.
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 still looked at as an impact player.
Tennessee had three players land on ESPN’s Top 100 portal players list at the end of January. Coleman was the highest-ranked UT addition on the list, coming in as the 13th best player in the class. The Vols also had former Auburn cornerback Kayin Lee land as the No. 58 transfer player and former Penn State defensive lineman Xavier Gilliam land as the No. 98 transfer portal player.
Tennessee Football is ranked as the No. 24 overall team in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings.
