Two days after reporting that Tennessee EDGE rusher Chaz Coleman had “yet to report to Knoxville for summer workouts,” On3 Sports insider Pete Nakos had similar news to share leading into the weekend.
On Friday, Nakos reported that Coleman still has not arrived to Knoxville for summer workouts as of the morning. Nakos also wrote in his tweet that Coleman’s “status with the program moving forward is unclear.”
While speaking on The Sports Animal’s Josh & Swain Show on Wednesday, Volquest’s Austin Price added that Coleman wasn’t supposed to be back until Wednesday, but he had “yet to make it to town.”
Head coach Josh Heupel commented on the matter at SEC Spring Meetings on Wednesday, according to Nakos: “Chaz has been dealing with some things, and we’re here to support him. We’ll continue to go through that process.”
From a ratings perspective, former Penn State EDGE rusher Chaz Coleman was the crown jewel of Tennessee Football’s transfer portal class this offseason. On3 Sports had the rising sophomore tagged as the No. 9 overall player and the third-ranked EDGE rusher in the portal. Moreover, Coleman’s signing with Tennessee seemed to be a natural transition with assistant coaches Jim Knowles and AJ Jackson coming over from Penn State during the offseason.
After originally starting the spring slate with the Vols, Coleman missed the back half of spring training camp and was not present for the Orange & White Game in April. Heupel spoke about the situation during his post-spring game press conference in mid-April.
“Ultimately, Chaz is dealing with some things off the field, and he’s got to handle that and go through that process,” Heupel said after the Orange and White Game. “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.”
More From RTI: Where Josh Heupel Lands in CBS Sports’ Best College Football Coaches Rankings
In Coleman’s freshman season at Penn State, he racked up 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.
Former Tennessee wide receiver and host of the Josh & Swain Show on The Sports Animal detailed the “balancing act” that Heupel is juggling as he sorts out the situation regarding the best move for the program and Coleman.
“Yeah, it’s a balancing act for Josh Heupel, because you want to be there individually for a young man who’s going through a tough time. But at the same time, you want to maintain the culture of your football team,” Swain said during Wednesday’s broadcast. “You don’t want what happened last year with Boo Carter to happen again. And you hired a strength coach to come in and not allow that to happen with the discipline, setting the standard. And so you’re giving him that freedom to do that. And so you can’t let Chaz continue to not be there because it’s going to risk the locker room. It’s not an easy decision at all for Josh Heupel or any of the coaches. But, at the same time, I think we’re getting to the point where you’re going to have to make a tough decision one way or the other.”
Tennessee lost two EDGE rushers to the transfer portal during the offseason with Caleb Herring and Jordan Ross, both of whom landed at SEC schools in the Vols’ 2026 schedule (Herring to South Carolina, Ross to LSU). With or without Coleman, Tennessee may have to rely on Tulane transfer Jordan Norman, redshirt-freshman Christian Gass and a number of true freshmen, including Zach Groves, Hezekiah Harris and CJ Edwards, in some combination.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee Football coverage.
