Chaz Coleman situation feels like another frustrating Tennessee setback is coming

Normally when Josh Heupel and Tennessee are able to pull off a 5-star splash, it's celebrated for a long time and fans can't wait for that player to be a stud in Knoxville. When it comes to Chaz Coleman, could his time with the SEC powerhouse be coming to an end before it even got started? That's the fear and Pete Nakos is doing nothing to calm nerves.

The Tennessee faithful have been all over the Coleman news, with hearts dropping when he was a no-show for summer workouts. Well, Nakos has only added to the concerns, reporting that Coleman is still nowhere to be seen. On top of that, he added that Coleman's status is 'unclear' moving forward. You've got to be kidding:

Latest Chaz Coleman update tests the patience of every single Tennessee fan

Chaz Coleman's 'unclear' status with Tennessee feels like the last straw is coming

Throughout the offseason, Heupel has gone into full coach-speak mode, saying that Coleman is working through some things and that he has the staff's full support. Reports have indicated that Coleman originally was dealing with homesickness, while others stated he was still recovering from an injury he suffered during his freshman campaign at Penn State.

Heupel and the Vols have been incredibly patient with him, but the fact that he's not around his teammates right now doesn't sound promising at all. Could it be that he just never got used to Knoxville and he's looking to play his college ball elsewhere instead? We don't want to speculate on things, but this whole situation just feels off.

When the Vols first landed Coleman, it was monster news. He was a 5-star transfer, just oozing with potential. The fact that he was going to be reunited with veteran defensive coordinator Jim Knowles too made it a perfect get. Since spring ball, though, things have gone south and it's been beyond frustrating to see.

During spring ball, Coleman got off to a hot start, but then something changed. People were ready to hit the panic button when he wasn't spotted at practices. When he wasn't on the field for the Spring Game too, worry reached a new level. Heupel did his best to try and make it seem like it wasn't a huge deal, but come on, it was.

Coleman was rumored to sign with the Vols on an NIL deal worth around $3 million. That's top dollar for someone to make the move to the SEC to be an elite pass-rusher for a big-name team in serious need of one. Coleman was supposed to be among the best EDGE players in the game next season, but now it's more up in the air than ever if he'll even be making his Vols debut once September gets here. Who knows, Coleman could surprise us all and make his way to town soon to join the Vols with workouts. At this point, though, there isn't a ton of optimism in that happening for Tennessee.

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