Former Penn State edge rusher Chaz Coleman headed to the SEC, not Ohio State

Defensive end Chaz Coleman was one of the most exciting young players on Penn State’s roster this past season. However, following the coaching change, the Warren, Ohio, native was expected to enter the transfer portal, and that’s exactly what happened.

However, where he ended up wasn’t the school most expected when he announced back on Dec. 18.

On Saturday, On3’s Hayes Fawcett confirmed that Coleman will join former Penn State staffers, Jim Knowles and Anthony Poindexter in the SEC next season, signing with Tennessee. He’s also the third former Nittany Lion to make the move to Knoxville, joining defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam and linebacker Amare Campbell.

Many expected Coleman to end up at Ohio State when he originally announced his decision to enter the portal. The Buckeyes pushed hard late last year to flip him from the Nittany Lions, but Coleman passed on the opportunity, electing to come to Penn State. Now, he’s once again decided to not play for his in-state school.

A late-riser in the Class of 2025, Penn State’s recruiting staff, along with former defensive line coach Deion Barnes, were ahead of the curve when they offered Coleman in September 2024. Under a different head coach, the Warren G Harding prospect focused primarily on playing quarterback his junior season but was never a polished enough passer to grab the attention of major schools. However, that changed his senior season when current head coach Matt Richardson took over the school’s football program.

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“When I watched him play basketball, I immediately thought he was a Power Five edge without seeing him do anything on the football field,” Richardson said. “If you just watch his basketball highlight film for two minutes, you’ll see he’s a walking double-double. He’s dunking all over the place and showing his explosiveness and all that good stuff.”

Richardson turned out to be right, as Coleman totaled 68 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and five sacks that season. He eventually became one of the top-ranked recruits in the 2025 class once final rankings were released.

Coleman backed up those high expectations during his freshman year at Penn State, totaling seven tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack in the first five games of 2025.

An injury kept Coleman off the field throughout most of November, but he did return to play eight snaps against Rutgers in the regular season finale. While it wasn’t the end of the season he was hoping for, by then, schools and media members across the country had already realized that Coleman has the potential to be a special player.

On3 ranked Coleman as the third-best player available in the transfer portal.