Inside Chaz Coleman's rocky Tennessee start: Big-money transfer's future remains uncertain

The Vols have received uneven returns on that investment, which threatens to go belly-up. Coleman went through winter workouts with Tennessee and participated in a few spring practices, but he missed the majority of the spring, including Tennessee's spring game.

Coleman, seen here pursuing Iamaleava in 2025, was an analytics darling as a true freshman with a pass-rush grade in the 90s.  Getty Images

When talking to sources about Coleman's situation, they tend to point to three things: He's homesick and feeling the pressure as a newfound millionaire; he suffered a head injury at an unknown point during his time at Penn State that seems to have caused lingering vertigo symptoms; and then there are concerns about his tardiness and engagement level early in his Vols tenure.

Sources indicate that Tennessee paid Coleman in the ballpark of $2 million out of the portal, perhaps the Vols' biggest investment of the offseason. The pressure that has come with Coleman's new millionaire status – not to mention others around him becoming aware of his newfound wealth -- and being away from home is straining the 19-year-old sophomore.

The lingering vertigo symptoms are also challenging for Coleman as he navigates a new college, teammates and significantly increased distance from home and his family.

"It's a sad situation, honestly," one source told CBS Sports.

While most in the Tennessee program consider Coleman's current absence and situation to be related to mental health, some have noted that Coleman's engagement in team activities was lacking. Sources told CBS Sports that Tennessee's coaching staff has had concerns about his tardiness and missing team responsibilities. At one point early in spring practice, Garner reprimanded Coleman, a conversation that took place shortly before Coleman decided to step away from the team.

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel addressed Coleman's status following the Vols' spring game.

"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."

The Vols made Coleman a priority out of the transfer portal, beating out LSU and Ohio State for the Penn State transfer. Tennessee had the advantage of familiarity in the process, as Coleman's former Nittany Lions defensive coordinator, Jim Knowles, and several other former PSU coaches helped lead the recruiting charge.

At one point, at least early, the Buckeyes felt like the favorite in Coleman's process. But sources indicate his connection to the Tennessee staff and the big contract helped lure him away from his native Ohio to Knoxville.

Industry sources who recruited Coleman speculated that his family pushed him to the highest bidder. But Coleman was likely getting $2 million-plus from any team he signed with, including Ohio State, and sources say LSU would have paid him more, while Penn State could have probably paid him equal, had he stayed.

Coleman is one of four former Penn State defensive players who signed with Tennessee this offseason, joining Knowles and several other Nittany Lions coaches in Knoxville.

While the circumstances are different, this is the second straight offseason that Tennessee has dealt with a marquee player's absence from the team. In May 2025, the Vols had one of the most high-profile NIL disputes to date when Iamaleava left the team, eventually ending up at UCLA in what effectively became a trade when Joey Aguilar left the Bruins for Knoxville. In July, standout defensive back Carter's status with the team leading into training camp fell into serious doubt after a locker room altercation. Carter, at the time arguably Tennessee's most heralded returning defensive player, left the team midseason and eventually transferred to Colorado.

In the situations with  Iamaleava and Carter, those around the program largely expressed skepticism that things would work out as the sagas dragged deeper into the public consciousness. The Coleman circumstance, according to sources, is different.

How it will play out remains up in the air, but those CBS Sports spoke with felt there was "still a chance" Coleman will play for the team in 2026.