5-star Hurricanes RB commit Chaney ‘leader for 2020 class’

Once he’d made one of the biggest decisions of his young life, Donald Chaney Jr. saw no point in waiting to share it with the entire world.

It didn’t matter that he was still months away from finishing his junior year of high school or that his future coach had taken the reins of Miami’s program just weeks earlier.

Chaney wanted to be a Hurricane and he wanted Miami coach Manny Diaz — and everyone else — to know it. And so, during Miami’s Junior Day recruiting event in February, Chaney walked into Diaz’s office and told not only the coach, but his parents, that he wanted to be a part of Miami’s 2020 recruiting class.

“I woke up and was like, ‘Today’s the day,’” said Chaney, who is rated a fivestar prospect in the 247Sports composite rankings. “No one knew. Not my dad, not my mom. I was sitting there thinking, ‘I feel like this is probably the right chance, the right time, right here. So I spoke to my mom as we were walking upstairs to the coaches’ offices and she was like, ‘Well, have you told your dad?’ I just said, ‘He’s going to find out in a second’ and then boom, it just happened. It was like a room full of fire.”

Since, the Miami Belen standout has not only seen his stock rise in recruiting circles, but he’s become one of Miami’s biggest ambassadors, reaching out to countless other top prospects in hopes of helping bring them to Coral Gables, too.

For him, it’s all a matter of finding ways to help his hometown college football program become elite again.

“I want to be able to be a leader for the 2020 class,” he said. “And in order for me to do that, I have to talk and I’ve been talking to a lot of kids. …I just want to be able to have a great team.”

Here, as part of a Sun Sentinel series profiling the Hurricanes’ 2020 recruits, a Q&A with Chaney, the highest-rated prospect in Miami’s upcoming signing class.

Q: You committed to Miami pretty early in the process even though you had a lot of options. Why Miami? And why was it so important to commit early?

DC: “I think I chose Miami because, obviously, it’s here and I wanted to be close to my family and I just saw myself thriving there, being able to be successful there, especially in what I want to study. And who wouldn’t want to make home better? I think it’s important. … Being able to make the crib great again, it’s a great opportunity.”

Okay, you mentioned what you’d like to study. What will your major be?

DC: “I want to study kinesiology, become a doctor, become a neurologist. I see a lot of kids trying to figure things out. I have ADHD and I go to my neurologist every couple of months. I just liked the way he talks to me, the way he explains things, and I want to be able to do that, too. My neurologist got me into that.”

You committed not long after Manny Diaz was named Miami’s new coach. What were your first impressions of him?

DC: “All I know is he’s trying to bring ‘The New Miami’ back to the old Miami. I heard a lot of things they’ve been doing. They’ve been changing a lot of things up. I think it’s better for Miami. We’re going to come out really strong this year. Everything’s going to be more than just OK.”

What are your thoughts on offensive coordinator Dan Enos?

DC: “He’s a very intellectual guy. He has a lot of things he wants to do that are just amazing. A lot of things that can help in the run game, help us in the passing game, all of that. The things that I’ve seen are just ridiculous. It’s a really big change for the offense and the thing … he’s been helping everyone catch up and catch up on it really quickly. Some of the coaches have been telling me they never thought that the team would be able to catch on as quick. So he’s helped a lot.”

How do you think you’ll fit into his offense?

DC: “It gives me a lot of different options. I like blocking. I like going out for passes, and all of it. I like running. And this offense consists of all that, so I’m in love with it.”

There’s

alot

of

talent

in Miami’s running backs room. How do you think you’ll fit in there?

DC: “It’s a lot of competition, but I’m me and they’re them. I like to think of myself as I’m going to compete no matter what. You can have me at four positions. I’m still going to compete and do my best. I’m not going to stop until I feel like I’m the best or the best at what I’m doing. I just have it very competitive spirit. Obviously, they know I’m coming in to compete and I hope they compete too, ‘cause I can’t go out without a competition.”

Something people be surprised to about you?

DC: “Oh, man. Something people would be surprised to learn about me? Oh, okay, yeah, I can rap. I just do it for fun. When I was a kid, I used to write lyrics. I was a gospel rapper. It’s been out there once, but, yeah.”

would learn

Who is your favorite UM player, past or present?

DC: “I would say Edgerrin James. Our style is similar. Me and him were talking and we have the same running style. He does the same thing I do. He said he was watching my film and he was like, ‘I do this, I do that’ and I was like, ‘Me too.’ I’ve liked him more ever since. I’ve been watching his film for a long time. We met at Junior Day and I was like, ‘He’s actually talking to me.’”

Which current Hurricane are you most excited to play with?

DC: “DeeJay Dallas. He has so much charisma. I just need to be around this guy. I have to be around this guy. The charisma is ridiculous. I hope he doesn’t leave [after his junior year].” What’s your favorite class in school?

DC: “Anatomy. How the body works is interesting. I like understanding that. I’m sitting here and my brain is over here telling me to do a whole bunch of stuff. I want to know how all that works, where it’s at. All of that is so interesting to me.”

Who’s your biggest inspiration?

DC: “I’d probably say my grandmother, Gladys Lafrance. When I see her smile, it’s amazing. It’s out of this world. She’s my mom’s mom.”

What do you think you’ll bring to the table for UM when you get there?

DC: “I think I’m going to bring a lot of leadership. I’ve been a leader here and I think that will carry on over there. I think I’m going to bring a lot of fun. I have a kind of DeeJay Dallas-type of vibe. Football is supposed to be fun. I think that’s what I’m going to bring to the table.”

You know what a big deal the Turnover Chain has been for the defense. The offense is supposed to be getting their own thing this year to celebrate big plays. You get to be coach Manny Diaz for a moment. What should the offense use to celebrate? And when would players get that reward?

DC: “The defense has [Sebastian] the Ibis on their chain. I’d want us to have the original ‘U’ chain on offense. And you definitely have to give it out for touchdowns. That just gives players another reason to do it. The Turnover Chain literally gave every defensive player a big reason to do something. And it has to be something you do when you come off the field, so, definitely a touchdown.”