The Tennessee Volunteers just torched the most expensive transfer portal swing of the offseason. Chaz Coleman, the Penn State EDGE who was supposed to anchor the Vols’ new look defense, is no longer with the program after being medically disqualified.
Pete Nakos and Chris Low of On3 broke the news Friday. CBS Sports’ Chris Hummer added that Coleman had been dealing with homesickness and the pressure of his massive financial package since April, with the stress manifesting as physical symptoms. Tardiness and engagement issues followed.
Tennessee reportedly handed Coleman a $2 million NIL package out of the portal. He was supposed to be the centerpiece of new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ first season in Knoxville. Instead, he never made it to summer workouts.
This is the dark side of the modern transfer portal. When you pay a 21 year old defensive end seven figures to leave his support system and carry a defense, you are paying for the production and the pressure that comes with it. Coleman could not handle the second part.
The Vols are not the first program to get burned. Nico Iamaleava left Tennessee last year over NIL drama. Now Coleman walks before ever playing a down. Josh Heupel’s roster math just got a lot harder.
Coleman collected three sacks in nine games at Penn State last season. That is not a number that justifies $2 million in NIL, but the staff at Tennessee believed his ceiling was much higher than that, especially with three of his old Penn State assistants joining the Vols’ staff.
Now Tennessee is scrambling to plug a hole in the pass rush less than two months before the season starts. There is no portal window left to mine. The walk-ons and redshirts on the roster are about to get a lot more snaps than anyone planned.
This story matters beyond Tennessee. Every SEC program is watching what just happened in Knoxville and asking themselves whether their own portal bets are built on sand. Heupel made the right call by parting ways once it became clear Coleman was not going to be on the field. The wrong call was making the bet in the first place.
Coleman’s future in football is now uncertain. He has dealt with a head injury and what sources described as personal issues. The hope is he gets healthy, both physically and otherwise, and finds a quieter landing spot. The Vols, meanwhile, are out a lot of money and a starter.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
