Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles wasn't in Happy Valley for long, but he clearly made a huge impact on players.
Jim Knowles taking another Penn State transfer to Tennessee stings Nittany Lion fans
Since the Transfer Portal opened on Jan. 2, it wasn't shocking seeing Penn State football's 2025 roster dwindle away with the chaos of the season and coaching changes.
Among those now former Nittany Lions are junior linebacker Amare Campbell, redshirt freshman defensive lineman Xavier Gilliam, and freshman edge rusher Chaz Coleman. As of Saturday, Jan. 10, all three packed their bags and shipped them to Tennessee.
BREAKING: Penn State transfer EDGE Chaz Coleman has committed to Tennessee, @Hayesfawcett3 reports🍊
— On3 (@On3sports) January 10, 2026
Coleman is the No. 3 overall prospect in the transfer portal.https://t.co/nuuLvZwwEk pic.twitter.com/VL9Xzzsc3s
Edge rusher Chaz Coleman transfer to Tennessee, following Jim Knowles out of Penn State
Knowles moved on from the Nittany Lions with the news of his departure coming in early December. Gilliam was the first Penn State defenseman announcing his plans on joining Knowles with the Volunteers. Campbell's announcement on entering the portal was already a major blow for the Nittany Lions, and hearing his intentions on transferring to Tennessee made it worse.
Coleman was another devastating loss for the Nittany Lions. No matter where he transferred to, it was bound to hurt. He was a five-star transfer, ranked fifth overall, and was the top edge rusher in the portal, according to 247Sports Transfer Rankings.
Tracking Penn State football’s Transfer Portal activity: Live updates
For a long time since entering the Transfer Portal, Coleman was projected to go to Ohio State. According to On3 Rivals' predictions, the Buckeyes had a 95.9 percent chance of landing the talented, young rusher. LSU was also in the mix as a top team likely to land him. However, it was the Volunteers to come out on top and Knowles winning yet again
As a high school recruit, according to 247Sports Composite rankings, he was a four-star and 31st overall edge rusher. Coleman was ranked 293rd overall from the Class of 2025 as well and was the ninth recruit out of Ohio.
Virginia Tech head coach gave Coleman the green light to burn his redshirt before the 2025 season started. As a Nittany Lion, he had eight tackles, three tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries one sack, one forced fumble, and one pass defended over nine games.