Deion Sanders & Colorado have landed a huge HBCU transfer to bolster their defense. Former Florida A&M University linebacker Johnny Chaney Jr. He announced his commitment via his social media after announcing his intentions to hit the transfer portal in January.
He posted a letter to his Twitter/X account announcing his transfer from Florida A&M saying, “First and foremost, I want to thank God for how far he has taken me. Thank you to my coaches for giving me a chance to showcase my talents for 3 years and my teammates for making me better everyday.
Lastly, thank you Ratter nation for accepting me and giving me the best college experience possible. With that being said, I would like to announce that I am entering the transfer portal with 1 year left of eligibility.”
Chaney demonstrated his exceptional skills during his time with the Rattlers. As a sophomore in 2022, he recorded 55 total tackles, four tackles for loss, and 0.5 sacks. He further excelled in the following season, emerging as the Rattlers’ second-leading tackler with a total of 73 tackles across 13 games.
The 6’2″, 230-pound junior had three games with a minimum of 10 tackles and ended the season with 7.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and two quarterback hits. Chaney wrapped up the season by earning second-team All-SWAC honors. A standout performance was against the University of South Florida, where he recorded ten tackles (seven solo), two tackles for loss, and one sack.
Florida A&M went on to win the Celebration Bowl in a 30-26 victory over Howard University after a dominant showing in the SWAC Championship against Prairie View A&M. He now joins a Colorado program looking to bolster it’s defensive attack to better compete as they move to the Big 12.
Chaney is not the sole Rattler representing Colorado this Fall. Devin Rispress, formerly the Director of Recruiting at Florida A&M, left Florida A&M to team up with Deion Sanders in Colorado back in January. Rispress initially joined the Rattlers in 2022 in his recruiting role, contributing to the success of the 2023 Celebration Bowl-winning team.
He seemed set to recruit another talented class for the university, as FAMU revealed a substantial group of highly rated high school recruits and FBS transfers. As a former Bethune-Cookman running back, Rispress is credited with recruiting standouts like Marcus Riley and Kelvin Dean, the 2023 Celebration Bowl MVP. He now serves as Colorado’s Football Assistant Director Of Player Personnel and High School Relations.
Chaney is also the latest Rattler from the 2023 team to head to the FBS. Cherif Seye recently announced his transfer to UCLA after a standout year for the Rattlers where he racked up 22 tackles, including 9.5 for a loss and 4.5 sacks.
