Tennessee football landed a strong transfer portal class this offseason, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. The headliner was edge rusher Chaz Coleman, who follows the Vols’ new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles from Penn State.
Despite missing some time in November due to injury, Coleman still played in nine games with the Nittany Lions. He posted eight tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and one pass breakup on the year. While he wasn’t a starter, the flashes he showed created a ton of hype for his progression.
The 6-foot-4 edge rusher earned a 78.5 grade from PFF on the season. His best mark was an impressive 90.6 game grade in the loss to Ohio State. Coleman led all freshmen edge rushers with a 90.6 pass rush grade last season.
On Thursday, Tennessee’s new defensive coaches met with the Media. Knowles and LEOs coach Andrew Johnson were both asked about what Coleman brings to the table.
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Here’s what they said.
DC Jim Knowles
“He’s explosive. He’s difficult to block. He has a little bit of an invisible cloak, you where he can twist, turn, beat guys one-on-one. He has great initial quickness off the ball. So he’s a guy that can create havoc for an offense and really creates a matchup issue.”
LEOs Coach Andrew Johnson
“Even though he was a young guy, he played the game with recklessness and a sixth sense he had about him. The first thing that caught our eyes were him running to the ball, even though he didn’t know what to do. His hustle, his effort, him trying to play really strong and being fearless against kids that were older than him and bigger than him and stronger than him. He really had no fear.”
