Coleman, Chase departing UConn as grad transfers
Some news coming out of Coach Diaco's office today as inside linebackers
Tashawn Coleman and
Willie Chase will both be leaving the program via the NCAA's graduate transfer rule. Both players will be fifth year seniors this fall.
Coleman, from California, has announced his intention to transfer to San Jose State in the Mountain West Conference. Coleman will be projected to start at middle linebacker for the Spartans. Chase, meanwhile, will return to his native New Jersey and compete for a linebacker spot with Rutgers. Both players were expected to be backups this season behind a projected rotation of Sammie Leonard, John Cox, Marcus Bradford and Tim Duchane, while being pushed by a number of younger 'backers.
Coleman played sparingly for UConn in the past three seasons, tallying 14 tackles and a sack. However, he never stuck in the rotation because of his shaky coverage skills and severe lack of speed (he ran a 4.8 40 in high school). Chase never played outside of special teams for UConn.
Both players were two-star recruits in the 2016 recruiting cycle who were just two of the many linebacker commitments in that time period. In 2016 alone, UConn also managed to sign Leonard (also a two-star prospect) and Duchane, a three-star prospect.