This should have been the moment Penn State fans knew Chaz Coleman was leaving

New Penn State head coach Matt Campbell did what he could to retain superstar true freshman edge rusher Chaz Coleman, but those efforts were ultimately in vain as the 2025 four-star recruit announced his intention to enter the transfer portal on Thursday. Coleman finished the 2025 season with just one sack, but recorded 15 quarterback pressures as he burned his redshirt across nine appearances. 

Coleman was one of the few bright spots in Penn State’s disastrous 6-6 season that saw James Franklin get fired. Now, he’s a candidate to follow Franklin to Virginia Tech, but more than likely, the Warren, Ohio native will be heading to Columbus. He was heavily recruited, especially late in the 2025 cycle, by Ryan Day and the Buckeyes. He took an official visit to Ohio State on November 30, 2024, just days before signing with the Nittany Lions. 

In hindsight, it was clear Chaz Coleman was going to head out the door

While the news of Coleman’s transfer didn’t break until Thursday, maybe it should have been clear much sooner that he would be leaving the program. After Penn State’s 38-14 Week 10 loss to Ohio State, Coleman was seen talking with someone dressed in Ohio State gear as he walked off the field. Many fans have assumed, then and now, that it was an instance of Ohio State tampering with an in-state player that they would love to bring back to the program. 

However, it may not be that cut and dry. Yes, Ohio State will be in the mix, and probably the favorite to land Coleman out of the portal. But no, that likely wasn’t tampering caught in 4k. According to Adam King, a 10TV sports anchor in Columbus, Coleman was chatting with an usher who played football with his uncle. Either way, it’s just another example of his strong ties to the Buckeyes. 

Then, after the Ohio State loss, in which Coleman played just 15 snaps, he did not appear in another game until Week 14 against Rutgers, when he played seven snaps. He was reportedly injured for much of the end of the season, but it's hard not to wonder if he would have been able to play more if Penn State’s season wasn’t a lost cause led by an interim head coach. 

After the UCLA loss, Coleman played just 34 more snaps all year, 15 of those coming against the Buckeyes. His only three quarterback pressures after Week 6 came in Columbus. 

It’s easy to play this game in hindsight and connect the dots, but it certainly feels as though Coleman knew he’d be leaving Happy Valley following this season. Campbell and general manager Derek Hoodjer reportedly made a push to sign him and were willing to pay, but it wasn’t enough to keep him with the program. 

Another potential reason for his departure is the style of defense that Campbell and his longtime defensive coordinator, Jon Heacock, presumably intend to play. Across their 10 years in Ames, Iowa State ran a 3-3-5 defense, which relies on bigger defensive ends who have the versatility to line up on the interior, and provides fewer opportunities for players like Coleman to rush off the edge.