No. 1 transfer portal player linked to major college football program

The newly top-ranked overall prospect in the 2025 college football transfer portal has now been linked to a major college football program and a rival of his former team.

Penn State defensive end Chaz Coleman is entering the NCAA transfer portal ahead of the 2026 football season, and reigning national champion Ohio State has emerged as an early school to watch for his forthcoming decision, according to On3 Sports.

Ohio State made a late push to earn the commitment of the in-state edge rusher back when he was a recruit, but he ultimately chose the Nittany Lions, where he got some early, and very promising, exposure.

Now, as that program embarks on the post-James Franklin future, it appears Coleman is looking for an exit, and their Big Ten rival is an early contender to pounce on him.

Early production

A former four-star prospect from Warren, Ohio, the edge rusher was given playing time at Penn State as a true freshman this past season, notching 8 stops with 3 tackles for loss, adding 1 sack, a forced fumble, a pair of fumble recoveries, and a pass defense in that time.

Coleman was considered the No. 25 ranked defensive and the No. 8 prospect from the state of Ohio as a high school player, according to a consensus of the national recruiting services.

Top-ranked transfer

Following news of his intention to transfer, Coleman quickly shot up to the No. 1 position nationally as the best player in the portal, according to the latest 247Sports Composite standings.

“Chaz Coleman has been one of the most dynamic true freshman pass rushers in college football this season,” Rivals scouting director Charles Power said in an assessment of the player.

That early production and continued promise is expected to cost a school considerable money, as Coleman is projected to command a seven-figure package wherever he lands as a transfer, according to the On3 report.

How the college football transfer portal works

College football’s transfer portal officially opens on Jan. 2, but that hasn’t stopped a flurry of players from entering their names for consideration at a new school right now.

The new 15-day transfer portal window from Jan. 2-16 and the elimination of the spring transfer period has condensed the timeline for players and programs to make their moves.

The NCAA Transfer Portal is a private database that includes the names of student-athletes in every sport at the Division I, II, and III levels. The full list of names is not available to the public.

A player can enter their name into the transfer portal through their school's compliance office.

Once a player gives written notification of their intent to transfer, the office puts the player's name into the database, and they officially become a transfer.

The compliance office has 48 hours to comply with the player's request and NCAA rules forbid anyone from refusing that request.

The database includes the player's name, contact information, info on whether the player was on scholarship, and if he is a graduate student.

Once a player's name appears in the transfer portal database, other schools are free to contact the player, who can change his mind at any point in the process and withdraw from the transfer portal.

Notably, once a player enters the portal, his school no longer has to honor the athletic scholarship it gave him.

And if that player decides to leave the portal and return to his original school, the school doesn't have to give him another scholarship.

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