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Tennessee football lands Penn State's Chaz Coleman, No. 1 edge rusher in portal
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- Tennessee football lands Penn State's Chaz Coleman, No. 1 edge rusher in portal
Penn State edge rusher Chaz Coleman will transfer to Tennessee football , giving new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles the player he called "Chazmanian Devil" when he coached him last season.
Coleman acknowledged his commitment to the Vols on Instagram.
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Coleman was a five-star transfer prospect and the No. 1 edge rusher in the portal , according to 247Sports . He was ranked 13 spots ahead of Jordan Ross , the former Tennessee edge rusher that's he's replacing. Ross transferred to LSU .
Tennessee beat out Ohio State , LSU and South Carolina in landing Coleman.
"(Coleman) is crazy athletic and explosive. For a freshman, he plays really hard, he plays to the echo of the whistle. He chases the ball all over the place," Knowles said on Aug. 12 , when he was Penn State's defensive coordinator. "I call him the Chazmanian Devil."
Coleman will play directly under Tennessee edge rushers coach Andrew Jackson , who was his assistant defensive line coach at Penn State. Co-defensive coordinator/secondary coach Anthony Poindexter also coached under Knowles for the Nittany Lions .
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Coleman is the third Penn State player to transfer to Tennessee during this portal cycle, joining defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam and linebacker Amare Campbell .
Tennessee has added seven players from the portal, including Kansas State safety Qua Moss , LSU offensive tackle Ory Williams , Auburn cornerback Kayin Lee and Louisville kicker Cooper Ranvier .
Chaz Coleman stats at Penn State
Coleman flashed elite talent as a freshman in the 2025 season, and he has one season of experience 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.
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The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder drew exceptional grades from Pro Football Focus as a pass rusher. In 70 pass plays, he recorded 15 quarterback pressures.
Coleman was a four-star recruit in the 2023 class out of Warren, Ohio. He has one season of eligibility remaining.
Where Chaz Coleman fits on Tennessee defense line
Tennessee lost almost all of its edge rushers this offseason. Joshua Josephs exhausted his eligibility and declared for the 2026 NFL Draft. Ross, Caleb Herring, Kellen Lindstrom, Jayden Loftin and Emmanuel Okoye entered the portal.
That means Coleman immediately takes on a significant role and likely the starting job.
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Overall, the UT defensive line must replace a lot of experience and some depth. Veterans Bryson Eason , Dominic Bailey, Tyre West and Jaxson Moi exhausted their eligibility. And the portal stripped away much several additional players.
Daevin Hobbs and Nathan Robinson return as experienced defensive linemen. Hobbs had 30 tackles and three sacks in eight games in 2025. Robinson had 14 tackles and 2.5 tackles-for-loss in 13 games. Both have dealt with injuries during their career.
Ethan Utley and Isaiah Campbell showed promise as freshman defensive lineman in 2025.
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: Tennessee football gets Penn State edge rusher in portal
