Chaz Coleman was one of Penn State football’s best defensive players through the first three weeks of the season, but recently, he hasn’t been playing as much, and interim HC Terry Smith told reporters why Tuesday.
Typically, true freshmen start the season under the radar and work their way up. Coleman has been the opposite, and it isn’t his fault. The Warren, Ohio, native arrived at Penn State in the summer and almost immediately made an impact, getting on the coaching staff and media’s radar as a guy who could play right away.
And play, he did, averaging 23 snaps over the first five games per Pro Football Focus. But he only played four snaps against Northwestern and eight against Iowa.
WHAT TERRY SAID
Smith said that Coleman had been battling sickness heading into the UCLA game and is just not getting back to 100%.
Smith also pointed out that Iowa has a run-heavy offense, which led to fellow true freshman defensive end Yvon Kemajou, who played 26 snaps to Coleman’s eight.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.“And then with the Iowa game, Chaz is more of a pass rusher, and he didn’t fit the game plan for what Iowa was going to bring,” Smith said. “They were going to run the ball, and he’s a little thinner on that side. That’s why Yvon (Kemajou) played a lot more in that game.”
TO TERRY’S POINT
To Smith’s point, Iowa (33 runs, 16 passes of Penn State) was run-dominant against Penn State. Coleman has struggled at times against the run this season, with Pro Football Focus having his missed tackles rate at 36.4%, which is the highest amongst Penn State’s defensive ends.
Coleman’s been much better against pass rushers, with PFF giving him a pass-rushing grade of 90.3, which ranks in the top 30 nationally per PFF.
If Penn State is to contend in the first few years of the post-James Franklin era, Coleman is a player that whoever the next coaching staff is will like to keep around. The 6-foot-4, 246-pound Warren, Ohio, native is a rising star and will have a homecoming Nov. 1 when PSU takes on No. 1 Ohio State in Columbus.
