Chaz Coleman commits to Tennessee: Vols bolster position of need with transfer portal's top defensive prospect

Penn State transfer Chaz Coleman, the No. 1 edge rusher and No. 5 prospect overall in 247Sports' Transfer Rankings, signed with Tennessee on Saturday afternoon, sources tell CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz and Chris Hummer. Coleman chose the Vols over Ohio State and South Carolina, which made a late push for Coleman's services. 

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Coleman ranks as the top defensive player in the transfer portal. He joins the Vols with three years of eligibility after spending his true freshman season with the Nittany Lions. 

A former four-star prospect out of Warren, Ohio's Harding High School, Coleman appeared in nine games in his lone season at Penn State. He finished the year with eight total tackles, three for a loss, and one sack in that span. Coleman also forced one fumble and had one pass breakup. 

Though Coleman is entering a new environment, he should have plenty of familiarity with Tennessee's defense. The Vols recently hired Jim Knowles, who spent the 2025 season at Penn State, as their defensive coordinator. 

Tennessee also added former Penn State defensive line coach Andrew Jackson, who mentored Coleman at Penn State, to its defensive staff. 

"He's jumped off the screen from the time I first got to be around him, and he's made plays in games," Knowles said of Coleman in September. "He's just a really disruptive guy. I think his progress is going to have to come against teams that are heavier in the run game and more talented in the run game. We're going to have to see how he can hold up in that because I think he can pass rush against anybody."

Coleman is the seventh transfer to commit to the Vols during the 2026 cycle and the fifth on the defensive side of the ball. He joins linebacker Amare Campbell and defensive lineman Xavier Gilliam as former Nittany Lions headed to Knoxville. 

Coleman fills big hole for Tennessee 

Landing a high-caliber edge rusher was at the top of Tennessee's transfer portal to-do list. Starting EDGE Joshua Josephs is off to the NFL. As is leading sack artist Dominic Bailey, who played on the strong side of Tennessee's defensive line in its previous scheme. 

The top two options behind Josephs, Caleb Herring and Jordan Ross, both entered the transfer portal when it opened. Herring has yet to find a new home, but Ross -- who grades out as a four-star transfer prospect -- quickly committed to LSU. 

Herring had four sacks in 2025, which tied for second among Tennessee defenders. Ross' 1.5 sacks don't leap off the page, but he has plenty of upside as a former top-10 prospect in the class of 2024. 

In Coleman, Tennessee is getting a defender that already has experience in Knowles' complex defensive scheme. He should start immediately, and he could also prove instrumental in helping other players learn and understand Knowles' philosophy as he installs it at Tennessee. 

The Vols are still in the hunt for more pass-rushing help to fill out the ranks.