Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Tennessee defensive lineman Chaz Coleman (90) during the Vols' first spring football practice in Knoxville on March 16, 2026.
The Tennessee Volunteers seemingly picked up a big win when they beat out both Ohio State and LSU to land star defensive end Chaz Coleman out of the transfer portal.
Coleman, a former four-star recruit out of high school in Ohio, looked like a future star in limited game action for Penn State as a true freshman, and then hit the portal when the Nittany Lions parted ways with head coach James Franklin.
The initial belief was that Coleman, who On3 ranked the No. 9 overall player in the portal, would return home and play for the Buckeyes. But it ended up being the Tigers who proved to be the stiffest competition for Tennessee, although he ultimately spurned Baton Rouge for Knoxville, following defensive coordinator Jim Knowles in the process.
However, ever since committing to the Vols, drama has seemingly followed Coleman everywhere he’s gone. He didn’t report to Tennessee for voluntary workouts in the spring and was seen on Instagram posting pictures with giant stacks of cash.
While Coleman did eventually show up to spring practice, he faced financial repercussions for his lack of accountability, and questions quickly arose surrounding his future with the program.
Now we know why.
Chaz Coleman And Tennessee Part Ways After He Was ‘Medically Disqualified’
On Friday morning, Pete Nakos of On3 reported that Coleman was no longer a member of the Volunteers’ football program.
However, according to Nakos, the separation comes under dubious circumstances.
“Tennessee has parted ways with Penn State transfer EDGE Chaz Coleman, sources tell Chris Low and me for On3. The pass rusher was absent from summer workouts last week before resurfacing in Knoxville on Friday. He has been medically disqualified from the Volunteers’ roster,” Nakos wrote. “He was absent from the second half of the Volunteers’ spring practice and, at the time, his status with the program moving forward was unclear.”
So, at some point, Tennessee deemed Coleman healthy enough to practice with the team. We’re not going to speculate as to the exact issue with Coleman, although in the era of NIL, you have to wonder if the specific wording of his “release” from the program has to do with contractual obligations on either side.
The question now becomes, where does Coleman go from here? It’s obvious he’s a supremely talented. But either he’s dealing with some sort of serious medical issue, or he has other problems he’s trying to work out.
Either way, Coleman is seemingly back on the market, and it will be interesting to see which teams pursue him moving forward.
UPDATE: According to Chris Hummer of CBS Sports, Tennessee is keeping Coleman on scholarship as part of HIS medical dismissal. So whether or not he plays football, for the Vols or anyone else, is now even more in question.