When Jim Knowles exited Penn State and joined Tennessee this year, several PSU players followed him to Knoxville. Among the players were standout names like Amare Campbell (LB) and Dejuan Lane (safety). But the focus was on a standout edge rusher, who commanded a $1.2 million NIL value upon joining Tennessee. But he got a reported $2 million deal. Months after reports of lingering homesickness and several other problems, Josh Heupel has now officially parted ways with him.

According to ON3’s Chris Low, Tennessee has parted ways with edge rusher Chaz Coleman. Reportedly, the 6’4″ and 240 lbs player has been medically disqualified from the Volunteers’ roster. Chaz was absent from the Vols’ spring practice and also missed the summer workouts last week. All signs then pointed to a potential exit, even though Josh Heupel tried to keep him in Knoxville.

Coleman’s timeline at Tennessee turned rocky almost immediately. He enrolled for winter workouts and participated in the opening phase of spring practice. Then his attendance dropped. He missed much of spring camp and did not play in the Orange and White Game in April. By late May, he had still not reported for summer workouts. Throughout the process, Tennessee officials described the issue as personal and health-related rather than disciplinary.

“Ultimately, Chaz is dealing with some things off the field. He’s got to handle that,” Heupel said in April. “We are here to help and support him.” Later at the SEC meetings, Heupel told ON3 that the program will “continue to go through” the process of supporting. But it seems Heupel’s camp has now given up on its $2 million acquisition following several issues with him in Knoxville.

According to reports, Coleman had a combination of homesickness and lingering vertigo symptoms connected to a previous head injury. Never mind, he had the pressure that came with suddenly becoming one of college football’s highest-paid young defenders. Sources also mentioned concerns over punctuality and missed team responsibilities during his early weeks in Knoxville. Despite those issues, the program persisted with Coleman and hoped he just needed some transit time to adjust at Tennessee.

Coleman arrived with massive expectations. For starters, he was a top-10 transfer nationally and one of the best edge defenders available in the portal. ESPN later ranked him among the top newcomers in college football entering 2026. Naturally, Tennessee expected him to become the centerpiece of a rebuilt pass rush under new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.

Jim Knowles and Josh Heupel had massive plans with Chaz Coleman

The medical disqualification has now changed those plans. Tennessee’s edge room suddenly became one of the thinnest units on the roster after earlier departures of Caleb Herring, Jordan Ross, and Joshua Josephs. The immediate solution appears to be former Tulane transfer Jordan Norman stepping into a larger role. Young players like Christian Gass and Kedric Golston may be expected to compete for snaps during fall camp. Despite that, Coleman’s departure will undoubtedly hurt the team.

“He’s explosive,” Jim Knowles said in February about Coleman. “He’s difficult to block. He has a little bit of an invisible cloak, where he can twist, turn, and 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 a matchup issue.”

Chaz Coleman’s production at Penn State was limited by opportunity rather than talent. As a freshman, he appeared in nine games and recorded eight tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, and two fumble recoveries. The raw numbers look modest. Though the advanced numbers tell a different story. PFF gave Coleman a 90.3 pass-rush grade, the best mark among all freshman edge defenders in the FBS. In consequence, coaches viewed him as a future star with three years of eligibility remaining.

Despite that excitement around Coleman, the Warren, Ohio native seemingly has failed to beat his issues at Tennessee. The program will not obviously pay the NIL money now, but it is still left with a hole in its defense. With the transfer portal closed, bringing in reinforcements is out of question. For now, Josh Heupel will have to make do with Tulane transfer Jordan Norman. He notched 28 tackles and 6 sacks for his team last year.