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Where art thou, Chaz Coleman?
Tennessee thought it landed one of the top players in the transfer portal this offseason when it beat out Ohio State and LSU for the commitment of former Penn State edge rusher Chaz Coleman. Four-and-a-half months later, however, it’s looking increasingly uncertain whether Coleman will even play for the Volunteers.
After missing most of Tennessee’s spring practices due to personal reasons, Coleman remained absent as the Volunteers started summer workouts this week. Josh Heupel’s response when asked about Coleman’s status during this week’s SEC spring meetings brought little clarity to the situation.
“Chaz has been dealing with some things, and we’re here to support him. We’ll continue to go through that process,” Heupel told reporters in Destin.
Coleman’s absence comes after Tennessee reportedly paid around $2 million to outbid the Buckeyes and Tigers for the sophomore edge rusher, who was ranked by 247Sports as the No. 17 overall prospect in the transfer portal this offseason. Worsening the optics of the situation, Coleman posted photos to his since-deleted Instagram account earlier this month in which he was holding stacks of cash.
Chaz Coleman wont play a meaningful down for Tennessee this year but he seems to be enjoying the NIL money
— CFBTalkDaily (@CFBTalkDaily) May 27, 2026
This is the risk you take when your recruiting is transactional pic.twitter.com/PYAjsyiX7b
A native of Warren, Ohio, Coleman was back on Tennessee’s campus on Friday, according to On3’s Austin Price. Coleman’s future with the Volunteers remains unclear, however, as he was supposed to return for summer workouts no later than Wednesday, per Price’s report.
After missing out on Coleman, Ohio State pivoted to signing former Alabama edge rusher Qua Russaw alongside his best friend and fellow Crimson Tide defensive lineman James Smith. Russaw is expected to factor into a defensive end rotation that will also include Beau Atkinson and Zion Grady alongside returning starter Kenyatta Jackson Jr.
Sorsby’s eligibility battle goes to court
Another one of this offseason’s most highly touted transfers was former Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who signed with Texas Tech as 247Sports’ No. 2 overall prospect in the transfer portal this offseason. Like Coleman, it’s uncertain if Sorsby will ever play a snap for his new team.
If the NCAA has its way, Sorsby won’t play a single snap for the Red Raiders. The NCAA ruled Sorsby permanently ineligible earlier this month for betting on his own team while he was a backup quarterback at Indiana. Sorsby placed at least 40 bets on Indiana football games while he was playing for the Hoosiers, among more than 9,000 sports wagers totaling at least $90,000 over the course of his college career.
Despite admitting that he placed those wagers in violation of NCAA rules, Sorsby took the NCAA to court this week in an effort to become the next college athlete to win an eligibility lawsuit against the governing body.
Sorsby’s attorney, Scott Tompsett, argued in a letter to the NCAA that Sorsby’s gambling addiction should be treated as a mental health condition and that “denying Brendan eligibility to play football in a structured environment is very likely to threaten his progress and recovery,” according to The Athletic. Sorsby recently completed a residential treatment program for gambling addiction.
Texas Tech is publicly supporting Sorsby’s bid for reinstatement. In an open letter posted to Texas Tech’s official website on Tuesday, university president Lawrence Schovanec argued that “the NCAA bylaws governing Brendan's case have not adapted to the era of widespread legalized sports betting that this generation of college athletes now has to navigate,” citing comments by NCAA chief medical officer Deena Casiero, who has said that athletes should be able to “seek support without fear of impacting their eligibility.”
NCAA rules, however, stipulate that an athlete betting on his or her own team carries a punishment of permanent ineligibility, while betting on any NCAA-sanctioned sport is punishable by a one-year suspension. The NCAA argues that allowing Sorsby to play after betting on his own team would be an unprecedented exception in both college and professional sports.
“Granting relief here would have broad-ranging and destabilizing ramifications. The relief (Sorsby) seeks would make the NCAA the first and only major American sports league to allow an athlete to compete after betting on his own games,” the NCAA wrote in its opposition response to Sorsby’s lawsuit. “And it would undermine the integrity of college athletics by rewarding conduct that is universally prohibited in American sports.”
A hearing on Sorsby’s request for a temporary injunction against the NCAA will be held Monday in Lubbock County (Texas) District Court.
UCLA QB finds transfer portal loophole
Four-and-a-half months after the end of college football’s only transfer portal window for 2026, UCLA quarterback/wide receiver Karson Gordon entered the transfer portal on Friday.
In addition to playing football, Gordon was a member of UCLA’s track and field team, allowing him to enter the transfer portal as a track and field athlete. He intends to continue competing in both sports at his next school, but isn’t disputing the notion that he’s exploiting a loophole in the NCAA’s transfer rules, retweeting both of the following tweets that suggested he’s doing so:
Incredible loophole. Staffers from Michigan, Auburn, Florida State and Mizzou are already following him. And not track staffers https://t.co/LJNdQevH8u
— Ralph Amsden (@ralphamsden) May 28, 2026
Loophole to the NCAAs efforts to stop summer football transfers. https://t.co/1ccajwJXsj pic.twitter.com/4KtNwZl6xl
— Mit Winter (@WinterSportsLaw) May 28, 2026
Gordon, who said he’s entering the transfer portal as a quarterback/athlete but was listed as a wide receiver on UCLA’s roster, saw no game action in two seasons with the Bruins. He participated in two indoor track and field meets for UCLA as a freshman, but did not compete in any track and field meets for UCLA this season due to injury.
A three-star recruit out of high school, Gordon was a high school national champion in the triple jump and was recently clocked running a 4.28-second 40-yard dash.
My boy @KarsonGordon24 running a 4.28 in the 40 yard dash is impressive ! pic.twitter.com/M3vnLVQtMl
— Footwork_King (@footwork_king1) May 22, 2026
ICYMI
Tyson Gentry Grateful As He Reflects on Life 20 Years After Ohio State Practice Injury That Left Him Paralyzed
Twenty years after he suffered a spinal cord injury in an Ohio State scrimmage that changed his life forever, Tyson Gentry is sharing his story in his new autobiography, “Once A Buckeye…: A Story of Football, Family and Faith.” I caught up with Gentry to talk about his life since the injury and why he wouldn’t change the life he has now even though he’s paralyzed from the neck down.
Julian Sayin Says “The Whole Program Has A Chip On Our Shoulder” and Arthur Smith’s Ohio State Offense Will Be “Exciting”
During his appearance at the Panini America Mobile Tour’s stop in Columbus on Wednesday, Julian Sayin met with the media to discuss what he’s working on this offseason, Ohio State’s mentality entering 2026 and his excitement to play in Arthur Smith’s offense.
New College Sports Bill Would Limit Transfers and Coach Movement, Prevent Big Ten/SEC Super League
A new bipartisan college sports bill introduced to Congress on Wednesday would bring a wide variety of rule changes to college sports, including allowing athletes to transfer only once without penalty, preventing FBS football coaches from changing teams before the end of the season and prohibiting the Big Ten and SEC from creating a super league separate from the rest of the FBS.
What’s Next
- 97 Days: Ohio State’s season opener vs. Ball State
- 104 Days: Ohio State at Texas
- 139 Days: Ohio State at Indiana
- 160 Days: Ohio State vs. Oregon
- 181 Days: The Game
