While there was plenty to be excited about during spring ball for Tennessee and Josh Heupel, including quarterback Faizon Brandon playing beyond his years, there was one major negative people could not get over. Pass-rusher Chaz Coleman was away from the team for a few practices and he also wasn't in action for the spring game.
Reports surfaced that Coleman, a former Penn State signee, was incredibly homesick and that he wasn't adjusting well to life in Knoxville. On top of that, he was also dealing with some vertigo from an injury he suffered during his freshman season with the Nittany Lions.
That has left plenty of Tennessee fans quite worried. However, On3's Brent Hubbs recently provided a new update on Coleman (at the 1:32:45 mark in that clip) and it seems like things are starting to trend in the right direction. This includes Coleman being around the team a bit more, which is of course a good sign.
Tennessee fans have high hopes for pass-rusher Chaz Coleman next season
"I think he's just had some personal things he's dealing through and going through," Hubbs said. "He's been around his teammates more, he's been in the building, he's been in constant conversations with (defensive line coach) Rodney Garner since Coach Garner got back in the office on a full-time basis. Those two have really started to develop a relationship, which they didn't have at the start of spring."
While on a podcast, Hubbs cleared things up a bit and said it's been more of a health issue that's been bothering Coleman instead of being so homesick. Apparently, the injury he suffered while at Penn State was a bit more serious than most of us thought.
However, it's not supposed to linger through the summer and the expectation is he'll be all set to rock for Week 1 and be a total stud for Heupel and new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Knowles played a major role in Coleman committing to Tennessee in the first place, as the two were quite familiar with one another during their time together with the Nittany Lions.
Coleman has the potential to be a beast in the trenches for the Vols, as he'll surely help the defense now that Joshua Josephs is off to the NFL. Losing Colton Hood and Jermod McCoy is also going to sting for the secondary, but guys like Coleman will be tasked in picking up the slack.
While the start of last season was electric for Tennessee, the Vols finished the year at 8-5. Heupel worked overtime in bringing in elite transfer talent and Coleman was no question one of the biggest gets for the entire Vols staff. Thus far, the start to his career in the SEC has been a bit rocky, but there's relief knowing things are indeed moving in the right direction for him. Fans will hope the positive news will continue and that he'll be at 100 percent both physically and mentally once the new season gets here.
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