In the 2020 recruiting class, Miami got the best 2-man RB class in America. We’ve already profiled the Broward County player in this group — RB Jaylan Knighton — now it’s time to talk about the Dade County addition: Donald Chaney Jr.

In his prep days, Chaney Jr. attended Miami (FL) Belen Jesuit. While Belen is a good academic school, they are not a great football power. With that being the case, Chaney Jr. largely had to do the heavy lifting for his team, cutting and spinning and sprinting away from defenses that were singularly concerned with stopping him.

And Chaney Jr. did just that. He ended his prep career with more than 3,200 yards rushing and 39 TDs in just about 3 seasons of work (he missed some time due to injuries in his career). Chaney Jr’s elite performance was not limited to the gridiron, however. He was a 3-time State Champion in the High Jump, and showed well in sprint events as well. Chaney Jr. was twice named the Miami Herald Miami-Dade Athlete of the Year, a rare achievement, to be sure.

After playing in the adidas All-American Bowl, Chaney Jr. was an early enrollee at Miami in January. But, Chaney Jr sustained a shoulder injury in the All-American Bowl, and had surgery to address that issue. And poof, like that, he was out for Spring Practice.

As we all know, Miami only got 4 practices in before the COVID-19 shutdown, so Chaney Jr was actually lucky to not lose more practice time, if that makes sense.

Now that he’s back healthy, Chaney Jr. is showing great athleticism and skill early on in fall camp. Chaney Jr. is a very good downhill runner, and he’s taking every chance to show and prove that point to his teammates and coaches. Chaney Jr. showed his abilities well during Miami’s first fall scrimmage, ending with 11 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown.

While fellow early enrollee RB Jaylan Knighton has universally received high praise and figures to have the inside track to the RB2 job, do not be surprised it Chaney Jr. pushes to add his name to that equation and finds a way to grab some of those snaps behind starting RB Cam’ron Harris this season. And fully expect Chaney Jr and Knighton to be a dynamic duo on the field in the future as well.

Go Canes