Tennessee removed transfer Chaz Coleman from the roster Friday after the edge rusher was medically disqualified, according to reports from On3.
The Penn State transfer hadn’t participated in spring practice or summer workouts since arriving on campus.
Coleman’s absence created one of the most confusing storylines of Tennessee’s offseason. The situation grew more complicated when Coleman deleted his Instagram account after fans criticized a social media post.
“Tennessee EDGE Chaz Coleman has deleted his Instagram amid a post from earlier this month going viral online. The Penn State transfer has yet to arrive in Knoxville for voluntary workouts, and continues to be one of the most confusing storylines of the offseason,” Vols reporter William Patteson posted.
Similar to Iamaleava Situation
Coleman’s situation reminded many of former quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s departure last spring. Iamaleava missed spring practice during NIL negotiations before ultimately transferring to UCLA.
The key difference was timing.
Coleman didn’t have the same exit options that Iamaleava had during his dispute with Tennessee. There’s no spring transfer window this year, which left Coleman without a clear path to leave the program.
“Last April, reports surfaced that Tennessee and Iamaleava were in NIL negotiations and he was then absent from spring practice. He also missed the spring game before ultimately transferring to UCLA and leaving the Vols scrambling for a new starting quarterback with little options available. That has the Coleman situation feeling all-too-familiar as Coleman could become Nico 2.0. The biggest difference between now and then is there’s no spring transfer window this year so Coleman actually has no way out, no matter how much he apparently regrets not going to his home state Ohio State,” All For Tennessee’s Dekota Gregory wrote.
Moving Forward
Tennessee can now focus on players currently participating in summer workouts.
Head coach Josh Heupel loses one of his top transfer additions, but the resolution allows both sides to move forward. The Volunteers still have questions to answer before the season begins.
The program’s most lingering offseason storyline has finally come to an end.
