Has PSU found a new defensive playmaker in Chaz Coleman?

By Greg Pickel

The first big moment of Chaz Coleman’s Penn State career did not feature the move that has left teammates nearly speechless when trying to describe it. The freshman defensive end, who has been drawing rave reviews for months, simply raced around and ducked under FIU offensive Jaleel Davis with a speed rush to strip sack Panthers backup quarterback Joe Pesansky late in the fourth quarter of the Lions’ 34-0 win. In one fluid motion, he beat Davis, smacked the ball out of Pesansky’s right hand, bent forward to pick it up, and raced 39 yards before being tackled at the visitor’s 5-yard line. A play later, Nick Singleton would score the final touchdown of the day. But, all anyone wanted to talk about then and after this mostly sluggish contest was how electric the Ohio native was.

“He’s so fluid,” linebacker Tony Rojas said. “He’s not forcing anything. It just happens. And, with his body type and just how flexible he is, it just makes him that much more special.”

Coleman did not enroll early. But he was known as a superb athlete coming out of high school who was as twitchy as anyone both on the Lions’ roster and in his recruiting class. According to Rojas, the team knew pretty quickly this summer how good he could be. It fast-tracked his path to the field, where he’s getting practically first-team reps two games into his college career.

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What made Coleman’s sack even more impressive was the fact that he did not even use his signature spin move. It’s one that left offensive tackle Drew Shelton briefly at a loss for words when trying to describe it. Senior running back Nick Singleton has never had to deal with chipping him in practice, which is surely something he’s not disappointed about.

“He’s a very twitchy athlete, and he’s only going to get more explosive,” Shelton said. “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 just shows he’s only going to be more of a problem as he continues to grow.”

Added defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam:

“I think he has the potential to be one of the best overall.”

After recording a quarterback hurry in his first game at Penn State, Coleman finished this one with four tackles (two for loss) and a pair of quarterback hurries. He already has a sizable role in the defensive line rotation. And, he only figures to earn more opportunities to put his talents on display from here.

“You guys are starting to see what we saw in camp,” head coach James Franklin said. “I think you’re going to just see him continue to take significant strides. But he is quick, he’s twitchy, he’s athletic. He’s 250 pounds. Looks skinny. I think he’s 248-249 somewhere in that range. And then, obviously, just his ball awareness today, to be able to get the strip sack and then be able to scoop it up and then run away, some cool things. So I think you’re just going to see him continue to get better.”