When Tennessee football took the field for the annual Orange and White Game on Saturday, it was without one of its star edge rushers. Penn State transfer Chaz Coleman was not seen with the team after reports that he was missing practices.
After the scrimmage, UT head coach Josh Heupel was asked about Coleman.
“Ultimately, Chaz is dealing with some things off the field and he’s got to handle that and go through that process,” Heupel said. “We’re here to help and support him in all of those ways and will continue to do that. But that’s ultimately the beginning part of his journey right now. Some things he has to work through.”
Coleman was one of the headliners in the recent transfer portal class for the Vols. He followed his Penn State defensive coordinator, Jim Knowles, to Knoxville after entering the portal following his freshman season with the Nittany Lions.
“He’s explosive,” Knowles said once arriving at Tennessee. “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.”
In his lone year in Happy Valley, Coleman produced eight tackles, three tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries, a sack and a forced fumble. In nine appearances, he led all FBS freshmen in pass-rush grade last season at 90.3, according to PFF.
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Coleman is from Warren, Ohio, where he played for Harding High School. The Vols were reported to be in a battle with Ohio State for his talents in the portal. As a recruit, Coleman ranked as a four-star recruit and No. 27 edge rusher in the cycle, according to 247.
Once entering the portal, Coleman jumped to one of the top-ranked players being recruited. 247 listed him as a five-star, the No. 7 transfer and No. 2 portal edge rusher.
At Tennessee, Coleman is projected to play at the LEO spot. That is primarily coached by Andrew Jackson, who also has previous experience with Coleman at Penn State. Other names in the room include Tulane transfer Jordan Norman and second-year edge rusher Christian Gass.
The Vols got gutted at the spot this offseason, losing Joshua Josephs to eligibility and Jordan Ross and Caleb Herring to the transfer portal.
