The Penn State Nittany Lions are on the verge of disaster in the transfer portal.
The Penn State Nittany Lions fired James Franklin midway through the season and have now hired Matt Campbell as their new head coach, so defections from the program were expected.
Any time a school changes coaches, players almost always leave, sometimes in droves. But Penn State may be in the process of experiencing an absolute nightmare scenario involving its top transfer: edge rusher Chaz Coleman.
A former four-star recruit, Coleman saw limited playing time in 2025, logging eight tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a couple of fumble recoveries.
However, he remains a highly-regarded prospect and is actually a five-star transfer and the second-ranked player in the portal, via 247 Sports.
So, yeah: Coleman is oozing with potential, and the problem is that he may end up realizing it with one of the Nittany Lions' fiercest rivals: the Ohio State Buckeyes.
For the second time since Coleman decided to enter the transfer portal earlier this month, Pete Nakos of On 3 has linked the Warren, Oh. product to Ohio State, this time going as far to say that there is significant mutual interest between the two sides.
Chaz Coleman. Credit: Lori Schmidt / Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.The Buckeyes heavily recruited Coleman last year, only to watch him join Penn State instead. But now, Ohio State — which has struggled to land top edge rushers in recent years — appears intent on righting that wrong.
Coleman is a goner in Happy Valley regardless, but the fact that he may be on the verge of joining a hated Big Ten foe makes his departure that much worse.
The good news is that Campbell did a tremendous job building the Iowa State football program, going 72-55 over a span of 10 seasons with the Cyclones. His best campaign came in 2024, when he guided Iowa State to 11 wins and a victory over Miami in the Pop Tarts Bowl.
Hopefully, Campbell is ready to hit the transfer portal with gusto in an attempt to replace Coleman, and he is surely hot on the recruiting trail trying to find pass rushers, as well.
Penn State entered 2025 with national championship aspirations and got off to a 3-0 start, but finished just 7-6 in one of its most disappointing seasons in recent memory.
The Nittany Lions did end their campaign on a high note, scoring a victory over Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl last Saturday.