Tennessee LEO Chaz Coleman has been absent from spring practices and other team activities over the past couple of weeks, leading to speculation over the future of the Penn State transfer. Coleman again was not present as the Vols wrapped up spring ball with the Orange & White Game on Saturday at Neyland Stadium. Head coach Josh Heupel provided an update on Coleman afterward.

“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, that (there’s) some things that he’s got to work through.”

Coleman was rated a five-star transfer and ranked the No. 7 overall player and the No. 2 edge in the portal for the 2026 cycle despite little production as a freshman at Penn State.

The 6-foot-4, 250-pound former high school quarterback played in just nine games for the Nittany Lions and had eight tackles, but three were tackles for loss. He also recovered two fumbles and forced one and recorded a sack. Coleman recovered a fumble against Ohio State and had a strip-sack he nearly returned for a touchdown against FIU.

He played just 150 defensive snaps, but led all FBS freshman in pass-rush grade (90.3) per Pro Football Focus.

“He’s explosive,” said new Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who dubbed Coleman “The Chazmanian Devil” during preseason camp at Penn State last season. “He is difficult to block. He has a little bit of an invisible cloak, 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 some matchup issues.”

Coleman, who chose the Vols over Ohio State and LSU out of the portal, was part of the group of coaches and players to move from Penn State to Tennessee this offseason. Defensive lineman Xavier Gilliam, linebacker Amare Campbell and safety Dejuan Lane all were Nittany Lions who became Vols and are poised to make impacts on defense this fall. On the coaching staff, Anthony Poindexter (co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach), Andrew Jackson (LEOs coach), Brent Zdebski (defensive analyst) and Shane Eachus (defensive analyst) all came with Knowles from State College.

“Even though he was a young guy, he played the game with a recklessness and like a sixth sense he had about him,” said Jackson, Coleman’s position coach with the Vols after he was the assistant defensive line coach for Penn State in 2025. “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 or bigger than him or stronger than him.

“He really had no fear.”

Tennessee’s fear with Coleman’s uncertainty is the impact his absence could have on its rebuilt pass-rush. The Vols lost their top six players from last season’s defense in terms of quarterback pressures. LEO Joshua Josephs, ends Dominic Bailey and Tyre West and tackle Bryson Eason were all seniors, and LEOs Caleb Herring and Jordan Ross transferred.

“Just in general I think the pass rush has been good,” Heupel said after Tennessee’s second spring scrimmage. “That’s certainly an area that as we continue to go through the rest of spring and into training camp, a point of emphasis for us. Being able to play with different personnel packages as we find out who are our best and making sure that we’ve got those guys on the football field.

“Between just four-man rushes, we’ve been able to apply some pressure. Certainly in the scope of our blitz packages as well, it’s been good. We’ve just got to continue to grow on that side of it – certainly a point of emphasis for us as we finish out spring ball.”