Tennessee Volunteers’ Newest Addition Named Top 10 Transfer Portal Player for 2026

According to a major football outlet, the Tennessee Volunteers have added one of the nation's best transfer portal players to their 2026 roster.

The college football transfer portal has evolved into a necessity for all programs across the country and has been utilized by nearly every coaching staff to bolster a team's roster. With so much reliance being placed on the portal, teams need to ensure that they acquire as much talent as possible.

Luckily for Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Volunteers, the Vols appear to have nabbed one of the most touted players in this year's portal class. According to CBS Sports, defensive EDGE Chaz Coleman has been listed as the seventh-best player in the 2026 portal class.

"Unquestionably the biggest projection of this cycle, Coleman logged just 150 snaps as a true freshman while posting one of the nation's top pass-rush win rates on a per-snap basis, per PFF," wrote CBS Sports' Cooper Petagna. "An athletic specimen with rare traits off the edge, Coleman reunites with Jim Knowles in Knoxville."

What Chaz Coleman Brings to the Tennessee Volunteers

Nov 23, 2024; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers mascot Smokey at a game against the UTEP Miners at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Angelina Alcantar/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images | Angelina Alcantar/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

During the 2025 football season with Penn State, Coleman accounted for six tackles and one sack while serving in a limited role with the team.

Coleman's production as a true freshman in 2025 was not necessarily eye-popping. However, the defender showed tons of promise in his freshman season and is expected to take a major step forward during the 2026 season.

The Volunteer's defensive end will also greatly benefit from having familiarity with his defensive coordinator, as current Volunteers coordinator Jim Knowles was also a member of the Nittany Lions coaching staff in 2025.

Coleman is one of the many transfer portal players that the Volunteers added ahead of the 2026 season, and the team's portal class currently ranks 21st in the country and ninth in the SEC. The Vols will rely heavily on their newest additions in hopes of returning to the College Football Playoff.

Should Chaz Coleman's talent and athleticism live up to the hype, the Volunteers will likely have one of the better pass rushers in the country this season and could make tremendous improvements on the defensive side of the football.

Tennessee will continue its offseason preparations as it gears up for its season opener on Saturday, September 5th, against Furman. A kickoff time and TV network for this game have yet to be announced.