Chaz Coleman leaves Tennessee football after being medically disqualified

Tennessee edge rusher Chaz Coleman, a prized Penn State transfer, has been medically disqualified and no longer part of the Vols football team, a UT spokesman told Knox News.
Coleman leaves the UT program without ever playing a game.
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It ends a strange offseason saga. Coleman was one of the gems of the Vols’ portal pickups. He was a five-star transfer and the No. 1 edge rusher in the portal, according to 247Sports.
But Coleman missed the second half of spring practice because of what coach Josh Heupel indicated were personal matters, and then he didn’t initially report to summer workouts in late May.
“Chaz has been dealing with some things, and we’re here to support him. We’ll continue to go through that process,” Heupel said on May 27, essentially repeating his past comments about Coleman.
Coleman enrolled at UT in January. He followed defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and two other assistant coaches from Penn State to Tennessee. And the Vols were counting on him to be a disruptive playmaker in the 2026 season.
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Instead, Coleman’s time at Tennessee was very brief. And the Vols are now short on experience at his position with no way to replace him.
Coleman’s departure is concerning for several reasons, including his pivotal position and potential impact on the team.
He was brought to UT to be play-making pass rusher in Knowles’ defense after the Vols lost almost every edge rusher this offseason.
Starter Joshua Josephs exhausted his eligibility, and he was selected in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the Washington Commanders.
Former five-star recruit Jordan Ross (LSU) was believed to be UT’s next great edge rusher, but he transferred to LSU.
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Veteran edge rusher Caleb Herring transferred to South Carolina. And developmental edge rushers Jayden Loftin (Wisconsin), Kellen Lindstrom (Missouri State) and Emmanuel Okoye (Cal) also left via the portal.
UT replaced them with Coleman and Tulane transfer Jordan Norman. Redshirt freshman Christian Gass and freshmen Zach Groves, Hezekiah Harris and Kedric Golston are also edge rushers.
The Vols need disruptive pass rushers against their challenging schedule. They must face talented quarterbacks like Texas’ Arch Manning, Auburn’s Byrum Brown, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed and LSU’s Sam Leavitt.
Presumably, Coleman signed a lucrative NIL contract because he was a coveted transfer. Even if UT only paid him a small portion of that deal, he can’t be replaced. After all, there was no longer a spring portal window in college football this year, and there aren’t elite edge rushers waiting to enroll at an SEC program. That means UT doesn’t have an opportunity to replace Coleman or to spend that NIL money on another new player.
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Coleman’s relationship with new UT coaches makes his departure especially unexpected.
Knowles, co-defensive coordinator/secondary coach Anthony Poindexter, edge rushers coach Andrew Jackson and multiple analysts coached Coleman at Penn State in 2025, so they knew what to expect out of the young talent. Presumably, they endorsed Coleman when UT considered adding him from the portal in January.
“(Coleman) is explosive. He is difficult to block. He has a little bit of an invisible cloak, where he can twist and turn, beat guys one-on-one,” Knowles said on Feb. 19. “He has great initial quickness off the ball. He’s a guy that can create havoc for an offense and really creates a matchup issue.”
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Coleman, a 6-foot-4, 250-pounder from Warren, Ohio, flashed elite talent as a Penn State freshman in the 2025 season in Knowles’ scheme. But he is still young and developing.
Coleman played nine games as a freshman but was limited by injuries late in the season. He had eight tackles, three tackles-for-loss, one sack, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. He also drew exceptional grades from Pro Football Focus as a pass rusher. In 70 pass plays, he recorded 15 quarterback pressures.
“Chaz is everything as advertised,” Jackson said on March 23. “He’s got the quickness, the speed, and the size.”
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Chaz Coleman leaves Tennessee football after being medically disqualified
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