We have seen a trend in college football this year of players opting out of the season to save eligibility so they can enter the transfer portal. It's happening all over the country, and Colorado football linebacker Johnny Chaney made the decision to do just that this week. The Buffaloes have a huge game against Kansas this weekend, but Chaney is opting out for the remainder of the season. He has not had much of an impact this year and seems to feel like he can get more playing time elsewhere.
“Colorado LB Johnny Chaney plans to redshirt and enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, he announced,” Pete Nakos said in a post. “Chaney began his career at FAMU and has recorded 109 total tackles and 3.5 sacks.”
Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders is a big transfer portal user, and that is how Johnny Chaney made his way to the Buffaloes. He started his career at Florida A&M before transferring to Colorado, so this will be Chaney's second time hitting the portal and he will be looking for his third school.
Chaney played at Florida A&M for three seasons and he had some impressive years there. He didn't play a lot as a freshman as he recorded just two tackles, but he burst onto the scene during the 2022 season. Chaney racked up 48 tackles and 0.5 sacks that year, and his numbers got even better as a junior.
Article Continues BelowLast season, Chaney had 58 total tackles and three sacks. He was an elite defender and he realized that he could play at a big school like Colorado. He made the move to Boulder, but he hasn't been a contributor this season for the Buffaloes. Chaney had just one tackle on the season, and now his year is done. He is moving on from the Colorado football team and he will look for a third school in the transfer portal.
Johnny Chaney is from the state of Florida as he attended Wekiva High School in Apopka, FL. He didn't receive a lot of attention as a recruit and stayed close to home by attending Florida A&M. Perhaps he will be looking to go back to, or near, his home state now that he is going back into the transfer portal.
It's always unfortunate to lose a player to the portal, but it's part of the game. Johnny Chaney clearly wasn't playing as much as he would've liked, so it seems clear that the Colorado football team isn't the best fit for him. It will be interesting to see where he ends up.