Why Chaz Coleman, With Limited College Tape, Is the No. 1 Player in the Transfer Portal
Chaz Coleman didn’t light up the stat sheet during his freshman season at Penn State. In fact, he barely scratched the surface.
The defensive end played just 150 total snaps, cracked the 20-snap mark in only one Big Ten game, and finished the year with three tackles and one sack. He missed three games in November due to injury.
On paper, that’s not the résumé you’d expect from the No. 1 overall player in the transfer portal.
But here’s the thing - this isn’t just about stats. It’s about potential, projection, and raw talent. And by those measures, Coleman is turning heads across the country.
Less than a day after Coleman officially entered the transfer portal, 247Sports had him sitting atop their rankings. That’s not a fluke.
Cooper Petagna, a CBS Sports analyst and former Power Five recruiting and personnel director, is the one overseeing those rankings. And he’s seen enough to be convinced.
“He is, without a doubt, the most talented player that I've evaluated in this transfer portal cycle,” Petagna said. “And in the next day or two, I’ll be north of evaluating 1,000 guys.”
That’s not just high praise - that’s elite territory.
The Buzz Was Real - Even Before He Played a Snap
Coleman’s name was already making waves before he ever suited up for a game. Despite enrolling over the summer, he quickly became one of the most talked-about players in Penn State’s preseason camp.
“Everybody is talking about him,” former head coach James Franklin said back on August 12.
Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles echoed that sentiment - and even gave Coleman a nickname that stuck.
“He’s crazy athletic, explosive,” Knowles said. “He plays to the echo of the whistle, chases the ball all over the place. I call him the Chazmanian Devil.”
That kind of motor and athleticism doesn’t go unnoticed, especially when it’s paired with a high football IQ. Defensive line coach Deion Barnes saw it immediately.
“The first day he popped out here, you could just see the flash,” Barnes said. “He’s a smart kid - plays fast, does everything I asked him to do.
He came in as a sponge. Really, that’s what happened.
His brain was able to take all the information in, and he applied what we're doing in the meeting to the field.”
Early Returns Showed Promise
Coleman made his presence felt early in the season. He was part of the first defensive series of the year and averaged 24 snaps across Penn State’s three non-conference games.
During that stretch, he racked up three tackles for loss, including a strip sack that he nearly turned into a touchdown. According to Pro Football Focus, he registered 10 pressures - second-most on the team.
That’s not just flashing potential - that’s producing in real-time, even in limited action.
But once Big Ten play began, things slowed down. Coleman didn’t record another tackle for loss, saw his snap count drop to an average of 13 per game over six conference matchups, and missed three games entirely due to injury. He added five more pressures but didn’t quite maintain the same level of impact.
Still, the talent never stopped being obvious.
Why He’s Still No. 1
Despite the limited sample size, Coleman is currently the only five-star prospect in 247Sports’ transfer portal rankings. For context, last cycle saw just three five-star players in the portal: quarterback Nico Iamaleava (Tennessee to UCLA), offensive tackle Isaiah World (Nevada to Oregon), and edge rusher Damon Wilson II (Georgia to Oregon). That’s elite company - and Coleman is right there with them.
And if you’re wondering whether this is just hype, the financial side of the portal tells a different story.
“Outside of quarterbacks at the top of the board, probably commanding north of $4 million, this kid is gonna be one of the highest compensated players in the entire transfer portal,” Petagna said. “No doubt.”
That kind of valuation doesn’t happen by accident. It’s a reflection of how college programs - and the decision-makers behind them - view Coleman’s upside.
He’s a player with NFL tools, elite athleticism, and the kind of drive that coaches covet. Even with a small body of work, he’s already shown enough to suggest he could become a game-wrecker at the next stop.
The Bottom Line
Chaz Coleman may not have the production yet, but he’s got everything else: the physical traits, the football instincts, the motor, and the early flashes that scream future star. That’s why he’s the top-ranked player in the transfer portal, and why his next destination will be one of the most closely watched moves of the offseason.
Because sometimes, it’s not about what a player has done - it’s about what he can do. And with Coleman, the ceiling looks sky-high.