New reports on Chaz Coleman's status with Tennessee lead to even more questions

Did Doug Matthews speak out of turn on Chaz Coleman?

The former Vols assistant is as connected with the football program as anyone, so when he goes on the Big Orange Sunday show and says that Tennessee's top transfer portal acquisition has been dismissed from the team.

The quote is as dictated by Zach Ragan of AZ Sports:

“Chaz Coleman, a young man who came in out of the transfer portal from Penn State. A talented player, but young and inexperienced. But he really was being counted on probably to be a starter at EDGE rusher, I would think. [He’s] no longer with the program. I think it’s probably pretty mutual, but he was dismissed this past week after I think about as good an effort as Coach (Josh) Heupel and this staff could have [made] to keep him there. It didn’t work out. Those things happen.”

Matthews' report was quickly denied by several sources and that Coleman is still anticipated to join the team for summer workouts soon. A quick glance at the Vols official athletic website sees Coleman's name still on the roster. 

Chaz Coleman has been away from Tennessee for much of the offseason to deal with 'personal issues'

It's not been a smooth road for Coleman since arriving in Knoxville. When the sophomore pass rusher committed to the Vols, he was expected to be one of the team's top defensive players. He flashed the kind of upside in his freshman season with Penn State that made fans believe that he was going to level up significantly in his second year. But Coleman has been mostly absent from the team and reports during spring practice came out that the Warren, Ohio native was struggling with the distance from home, but that Tennessee was doing whatever it could to provide him with the resources to become comfortable. 

“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," Heupel said after the Vols spring game.

Even if Matthews' report is premature or turns out to be untrue, I don't think he was just speaking randomly. There's clearly some frustration in the football building, and it's something that Josh Heupel is going to have to figure out sooner or later. He can certainly give Coleman the space that he needs and focus on the players that are there, but this isn't something that needs to linger over the Vols program for too long. Coleman is a big part of the plans for Tennessee this fall and if he's not going to be available, or he's off the team, it needs to come to the surface quickly.

This story isn't going to go away until Coleman is seen around the team or Heupel makes some sort of public statement about his status. For his sake, I hope Coleman is alright. We've seen enough situations where a player is going through mental health issues, and it doesn't always end well. 

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