Head coach Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Volunteers once again find themselves in a soap opera right in the middle of the offseason with a star player that could be a massive difference maker.
Just a year after abruptly losing starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava to UCLA via the transfer portal, the Vols are now in danger of top defensive end transfer Chaz Coleman from Penn State never even playing a snap in Rocky Top. There was also the situation of defensive back Boo Carter missing workouts and leaving the program midseason last year, further showing this could be an alarming trend under Heupel that he has to figure out sooner than later.
Recent Chaz Coleman news is better but still points to a familiar ending for Tennessee
Saturday brought better news about the Coleman fiasco but still certainly not good news that will relieve Vols fans. Volquest's Brent Hubbs reported that Coleman was back in Knoxville for the first time since April. However, Hubbs noted Coleman's future with the Volunteers still "remains a mystery" despite being back in Knoxville.
There's been a lot of drama surrounding Coleman after he didn't arrive to Tennessee on Wednesday for the start of the Volunteers' summer workouts. He also missed most of the Vols' spring camp and didn't participate in the Orange and White Game because of personal reasons that haven't been made public yet. There were reports during the spring that Coleman, from Ohio, was feeling homesick once in Knoxville.
“Ultimately, Chaz is dealing with some things off the field, and he’s got to handle that and go through that process," Heupel said after the spring game in April. “We’re here to help and support him in all of those ways and will continue to do that. But that’s ultimately the beginning part of his journey right now. Some things he has to work through.”
That showed the coaching staff was in full support of Coleman, at least last month before he was also late to summer workouts now. Regardless, this still has fans fearing they will never actually get to enjoy the benefits of landing a former five-star recruit after Coleman followed new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to Tennessee instead of going to Ohio State like most expected him to.
Read more: Chaz Coleman situation feels like another frustrating Tennessee setback is coming
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.
At the end of the day, though, even if Coleman isn't playing for someone else during the 2026 college football season, the most important thing is if he's playing for Tennessee or not, and right now, that seems unlikely as Vols fans could suffer another offseason deficit ad essentially be in the same predicament just over a year later.
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