Penn State freshman defensive end Chaz Coleman is quickly drawing attention in Happy Valley, earning praise from head coach James Franklin for his impressive start to the 2025 season.
Coleman, who generated significant preseason buzz, recorded four tackles, including two for loss, and a strip sack against FIU last Saturday, nearly returning it for a touchdown.
Coordinator Jim Knowles, who nicknamed him the “Chazmanian Devil” during August camp, named him Penn State’s Defender of the Day following just his second career college game.
“He's an exciting young player and he's an awesome young man,” Franklin said Monday. “Family has done a really good job raising him. I'm not going to talk about him too much because I want to keep him humble and hungry.”
Humility is cited as often as his athletic talent, but Penn State fans and teammates are eager for more snaps. Senior defensive tackle Alonzo Ford said,
“It means a lot for our defense to have young guys be able to go out there, step up and make plays. He's prepared to do it, so they're putting him in this position. It will definitely boost his confidence to know he can go out there and play with anybody.”
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Coleman leads the team with nine pressures through two games and holds an 89.2 cumulative PFF grade, trailing only senior All-American candidate Dani Dennis-Sutton. Defensive line coach Deion Barnes noted his relentless attention to detail, saying,
“He won't let a day go by where he messed up on something that he won't try to fix it. Worker mentality, that's really what helped him out.”
At 6-foot-4, Coleman has grown from under 230 pounds to roughly 250 pounds and continues to refine his spin move, with left tackle Drew Shelton stating,
“It's really hard to stop a spin move when they do it right, and for him to already come in and have a spin move like that at such a young age, he's only going to be more of a problem as he continues to grow.”
Through two games, Coleman has surpassed 20 snaps each contest, and those workloads may be his lightest of the season as he emerges as a key defensive force for Penn State.
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