The spring game provided plenty of positive takeaways for the Tennessee Vols and Josh Heupel, but there was one major negative people are still talking about. Yup, that's that 5-star transfer Chaz Coleman wasn't suited up and in action at Neyland Stadium.
The most important takeaway from the Tennessee spring game
Unfortunately for the Vols, Coleman has been working through some off-field issues, with the playmaker reportedly dealing with some homesickness. Heupel was asked about things following the action to wrap up the spring sessions, but his answer didn't give the fanbase a ton of hope that this is moving in the right direction. Could this be an issue that lingers into the summer and fall?
Sophomore DE Chaz Coleman (transfer from Penn State) was not suited up for the Orange and White game. When asked about that situation, Coach Heupel said this: “We’re here to help and support him in all of those ways and we will continue to do that.” pic.twitter.com/lWDHcYrYCH
— Ellie (@Ellie_Mai_) April 12, 2026
Tennessee fans remain worried about 5-star pass-rush Chaz Coleman's status with the Vols
"Ultimately, Chaz is dealing with some things off the field," Heupel said after the spring game. "He's got to handle that and go through that process. We're here to help and support him in all of those ways and we'll continue to do that, but that's ultimately the beginning part of his journey right now - some things he's got to work through."
Yup, that response from Heupel isn't going to give anyone much confidence that Coleman is going to be able to snap out of his funk in the near future. The word out of Knoxville is that he isn't used to living this far away from home, with life in Knoxville not quite going according to plan for him thus far.
Coleman is an Ohio product who signed with Penn State out of high school. As soon as he hit the portal, the Ohio State Buckeyes were reportedly serious contenders to land his signature, but the youngster decided to move to SEC country instead.
He made things official with Tennessee ranked five stars, the No. 2 EDGE in the nation and No. 7 transfer overall for the 2026 class. Once Week 1 gets here, the Tennessee faithful are jacked up to see what Coleman can do for Heupel and Jim Knowles, but that's if he puts the pads on.
We're not going to speculate on whether or not Coleman might decide to leave town to play for a new team, but this ongoing drama most certainly is concerning. Tennessee reportedly spent more than $3 million to get him to town to be a stud, but his future seems quite unclear. This just doesn't feel great for Heupel and his staff.