What Josh Heupel said about Chaz Coleman absence at Tennessee spring game

What Josh Heupel said about Chaz Coleman absence at Tennessee spring game

Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel said that prized edge rusher Chaz Coleman, a Penn State transfer, missed the Orange and White Spring Game due to "off the field" issues.

“Ultimatley, Chaz is dealing with some things off the field. He’s got to handle that," Heupel said on April 11. "We are here to help and support him."

Coleman was one of the gems of the Vols’ offseason pickups. He was a five-star transfer and the No. 1 edge rusher in the portal, according to 247Sports.

Coleman enrolled at UT in January. He followed defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and two other assistant coaches from Penn State to Tennessee.

Coleman went through winter workouts and participated on the field early in spring practice. But he’s missed about half of spring practice since then and did not play in the spring game at Neyland Stadium.

Why Chaz Coleman was Tennessee priority in transfer portal

Coleman’s absence is concerning for several reasons, including his pivotal position and potential impact on the team.

He was brought to UT to be disruptive pass rusher in Knowles’ defense after the Vols lost almost every edge rusher this offseason.

Joshua Josephs exhausted his eligibility and declared for the 2026 NFL Draft. And UT lost edge rushers Jordan Ross (LSU), Caleb Herring (South Carolina), Jayden Loftin (Wisconsin), Kellen Lindstrom (Missouri State) and Emmanuel Okoye (Cal) to the portal.

UT replaced them with Coleman and Tulane transfer Jordan Norman. Redshirt freshman Christian Gass and freshmen Zach Groves, Hezekiah Harris and CJ Edwards are also edge rushers.

Notably, there is no longer a spring portal window in college football. That means if Coleman was unavailable during the season, UT would not have an obvious means to replace him.

Chaz Coleman followed Penn State coaches to Tennessee

Presumably, Coleman was endorsed by his former Penn State coaches who came to Tennessee. Knowles, co-defensive coordinator/secondary coach Anthony Poindexter and edge rushers coach Andrew Jackson coached Coleman in the 2025 season, so they knew what to expect out of the young talent.

“(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.”

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 absence at Tennessee football spring game addressed by Josh Heupel