Two players to watch when Tennessee’s spring camp opens March 16 are Chaz Coleman, an edge rusher transfer from Penn State, and returning cornerback Ty Redmond.
Both rising sophomores and oozing with potential, Coleman and Redmond are set to play key roles in defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ Tennessee debut season defense.
Coleman followed his Penn State DC to Rocky Top in January following a promising freshman season with the Nittany Lions.
The 6-foot-4, 246-pound defensive end recorded eight tackles, one sack, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, 12 pressures and one pass deflection in just five games last season as a true freshman.
Despite missing several games with an undisclosed injury, Coleman showed tremendous upside with impressive get-off at the line of scrimmage and a drive to be great.
"He's explosive," Knowles said. "He’s difficult to block. He has a little bit of an invisible cloak, where he can twist and turn, beat guys one-on-one. He has great initial quickness off the ball. He's a guy that can create havoc for an offense and really creates a matchup issue."
Widely regarded as the top transfer portal addition for Tennessee this offseason, Coleman has been special since Day 1, according to his former defensive line coach at Penn State, Deion Barnes.
“He’s different,” said Barnes. “[Coleman’s] a smart kid. Plays fast. Does everything I ask him to do…The first day he popped out there, you could see the flash.”
After leading all freshman edge rushers last season with a 90.6 pass rush grade, Coleman needs to progress further this spring, to become a game wrecker for the Volunteers in 2026.
Already familiar with Knowles’ system, Coleman has all the tools to make a smooth transition over to SEC ball come September.
Returning to a reconstructed Tennessee defense, is 2025 standout cornerback Ty Redmond.
The 6-foot-2, 192-pound DB who started in 11 of 12 regular season games as a freshman last season, is now positioned to be the number one corner for the Vols in 2026.
After a strong 2025 spring camp and injuries to fellow cornerbacks last year, Redmond, a true freshman, was thrown to the fire and responded considerably well.
Despite struggling at times against conference opponents such as Georgia and Alabama, Redmond logged impressive totals of 39 tackles, one tackle for loss, 10 pass breakups and three interceptions in his debut season. Redmond received SEC All-Freshman team and ALL-SEC Third Team honors for his 2025 efforts.
Considered to be one of, if not the best, freshman corner in the nation last season, Redmond has the tools and experience to become an elite DB for Tennessee this year, and it all starts in two weeks at spring camp.
As a returning leader of a blended defensive room of new talent and seasoned Vols’, Redmond must make the same progress that former Vols corner and likely first round NFL pick Jermod McCoy did in 2023. Having spent one season with Redmond, McCoy has all the confidence in his successor.
"Yeah, I think Ty (Redmond) is going to be an All-American next year for sure, after the year he had. He learned a lot from me and Colton (Hood), so I mean next year is for sure his year," McCoy said.