Tennessee Football reached a resolution in the Chaz Coleman saga on Friday by parting ways with the former Penn State EDGE rusher due to medical disqualification, according to a report from On3’s Chris Low and Pete Nakos. The storyline has been heating up throughout the offseason, and it now looks like both sides have their clarity with fall training camp just over a month away.
Coleman originally transferred to Tennessee after spending his freshman season with DC Jim Knowles’ Penn State Nittany Lions in 2025. He was a promising young player in the transfer portal, ranked as the No. 9 overall player in the group by Rivals. Coleman missed some time with an injury as a freshman. Still, the idea was that Tennessee was getting an up-and-coming difference maker in the portal, who could find familiarity at Tennessee thanks to the Vols’ hiring of multiple Penn State coaches and the addition of multiple Penn State transfers this offseason.
We’ll never know what could’ve been, though. 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. Additionally, he did not report to the team’s summer workouts on time.
While speaking on the topic during Sunday night’s episode of The RTI Low-Down, On3’s Chris Low detailed a key assistant coach who was critical in identifying that something was off early in Coleman’s Tennessee tenure.
“I’ll say this,” Low said. “Josh (Heupel) brought in Derek Owings as his strength coach for a reason. He wanted this to be a tougher, more physical, stronger, physically and mentally, football team. And nobody’s around the players more than the strength coach. I think early on – early, early, on – Derek Owings sort of did a step back and said something’s not right with this Coleman situation. The way he was working, not going through spring practice. And I think there were issues over and above just football with Coleman. I think, at the end of the day, I don’t know how much football really meant to him. I don’t know how important it was. When you pay somebody to be your strength coach, and you’re paying him more money than any other strength coach in the country, and they pick up on that pretty quickly, which he did, then I always felt like this is where we would end up arriving, where we are right now. That he would not be a part of this football team.”
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Head coach Josh Heupel addressed the situation back in April, after the Orange & White Game and before Coleman’s summer workout issues.
“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 spring 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.”
CBS Sports has previously reported some of the issues that Coleman was dealing with after arriving to Tennessee: “physical symptoms, personal strain, homesickness and the pressure that came with Coleman’s rapid rise from a fringe four-star recruit to a top-10 transfer and overnight millionaire.” Additionally, Chris Hummer notes that there were concerns about “Coleman’s tardiness, engagement level and ability to consistently meet team responsibilities early in his Tennessee tenure.”
In addition to Chaz Coleman’s former Penn State DC, Jim Knowles, Tennessee also hired co-defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter and LEOs coach AJ Jackson from the Nittany Lions. The Vols also signed multiple PSU players from the portal, including DT Xavier Gilliam, safety Dejuan Lane, and linebacker Amare Campbell.
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.
Check out Low’s full insider report on Sunday night’s episode of The RTI Low-Down below:
