Ohio State Legend Claims Chaz Coleman Would’ve Been Welcomed in Columbus

The Ohio State Buckeyes were caught in a bit of hot water surrounding a major recruit, Chaz Coleman, who reportedly attempted to jump ship from the Tennessee Volunteers to Columbus to continue his college football career after a brief stint with Penn State.

The Ohio-based edge rusher is reportedly not fitting in properly in Knoxville, which saw On3's Pete Nakos deliver unreal intel that insinuates that Coleman's time with the Volunteers may be coming to an end.

"I will be extremely surprised if he is a member of the Tennessee football roster this fall." Nakos tweeted amidst a controversy over open workout participation.

During a new edition of the BIGPLAY Sports Network's "The Bobby Carpenter Show," there seems to be a bit more of a narrative about the Coleman situation that makes it even more confusing and intriguing at the same time.

"If you knew you were a homebody and liked to be around your family, you could have come to Ohio State. It's not that they didn't want you," Carpenter said.

.@Bcarp3 on the Chaz Coleman situation:

"If you knew you were a homebody and liked to be around your family, you could have come to Ohio State. It's not that they didn't want you."

Ohio State reportedly wasn't willing to meet his asking price.

The portal era is wild. pic.twitter.com/mRvaJa1Sjv
— Bobby Carpenter Show (@BobbyCarpShow) June 3, 2026

Bobby Carpenter claims Coleman could've come to Buckeyes

Apparently, Ohio State was interested in Coleman but if the price made sense. It didn't, which lead to Coleman's current state of non-clarity in Knoxville.

Coleman had one sack this past season with six tackles on a Nittany Lions team that saw James Franklin get fired midseason while still qualifying for a bowl game under interim coach Terry Smith.

Coleman also secured a forced fumble in limited action, but certainly demonstrated his durability of who he may become at the college level should he find the right fit.

If there is any overarching lesson from this ordeal, the unpredictability of the transfer portal all but dictates that these conflicts are only going to continue to grow more public as time goes on.

Transferring back to the field, the Buckeyes are still in a solid spot to compete for titles for many years to come. Ohio State beat Tennessee in the College Football Playoff two years ago, eventually culminating in a national title win by season's end.

Therefore, even if players want to jump ship, the off-field distractions only intensify and diminish, what should be a critical part of the operation: wins and losses.

With or without Coleman, the Buckeyes still have to win. Ryan Day still has to coach. The Big Ten still has to be top tier, and ultimately, players being unhappy at one school or another is the brutal, harsh reality of college football.

And, more than likely, it isn't changing anytime soon.

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