Chaz Coleman is on track to earn Abdul Carter-worthy recognition — and he's only a true freshman

Chaz Coleman, or the Chazmanian Devil as defensive coordinator Jim Knowles likes to call him, impressed on Saturday in Week 2 against Florida International. The true freshman logged a handful of snaps in Week 1, but took a huge leap in his second game that showed Penn State football fans that he's up next to join Abdul Carter and Micah Parsons as Nittany Lion greats.

Coleman had five quarterback pressures, four solo tackles, and one sack against the Panthers. His flashiest moment, though, was a fourth quarter fumble recovery.

He knocked the ball out of FIU quarterback Keyone Jenkins' hands, followed through perfectly, and used his frame at six-foot-four-inches to extend and recover the ball in one swift motion. Coleman ran it all the way down to the Panthers' five-yard line. The Penn State offense finished the job with running back Nicholas Singleton rushing into the end zone on the very next play.

Saturday was a prime example of why Coleman will be a consistent player in the defensive end rotation. Head coach James Franklin was impressed, but not shocked. However, he said in Monday's press conference that he wants to keep Coleman "humble and hungry" so he continues to make leaps and bounds as someone newer to the position.

“As we start to narrow this thing down, his reps will probably go up because rather than playing a three deep at defensive end, there’s going to be some games where we play a two deep," Franklin said on Monday. "So that may mean eight to 10 [or] eight to 12 more reps for him.”

Chaz Coleman earns highest graded defender in Week 2 and Penn State history by PFF

His performance on Saturday was one to be remembered in a sea of unexciting Nittany Lion play. Coleman earned a 96.8 pass rush grade by PFF, surpassing Carter's highest grade of 94.0. He also had a 50 percent win rate.

This also earned him in becoming the highest graded, Power 4 true freshman in Week 2 across the nation with a 93.7 grade. Coleman had a 1.8 advantage on Utah quarterback Byrd Ficklin.

While Penn State didn't show up on PFF's National Team of the Week, Coleman was one of two Nittany Lions with offensive guard Vega Ioane to earn spots on its Big Ten Team of the Week. Coleman was also named On3's "True Freshman of the Week."

"Coleman’s instant impact is even more impressive considering he was not an early enrolle. He was a big senior riser as a recruit, showing elite athleticism as a pass rusher and quarterback," On3's Charles Power wrote. "Penn State has built a reputation of churning out some big-time pass rushers in recent years, including [Parsons] and [Carter], and several others. [Coleman] has the talent to join that group in due time."