BYU Football Edge Rusher Plans To Enter NCAA Transfer Portal

PROVO, Utah – When the NCAA Transfer Portal window opens on Monday, a BYU football freshman will enter.

That freshman is edge rusher John Henry Daley. Daley announced his official intentions to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal on X.

BYU football DE John Henry Daley to enter Transfer Portal

Thank you, BYU. Excited for the future. pic.twitter.com/6eczfF06Xi

— John Henry Daley (@JohnHenryDaley1) December 2, 2023

“I’m grateful for the opportunity I had to be a student-athlete at Brigham Young University. I love my teammates and this program. I want to thank Coach Sitake for recruiting me. I love Cougar Nation.

“That being said, I will be entering the transfer portal with four years of eligibility left. I’m looking forward to what the future holds for me.”

Daley officially departed the BYU football program during the week of practices leading up to the Oklahoma game on November 18. The former Lone Peak High star appeared in three games during his first season at BYU.

Before enrolling at BYU, Daley served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Brazil.

John Henry exits BYU with older brother Michael Daley

Daley joins his older brother, Michael, who departed the program in October.

Initially, Michael’s absence created an opening for John Henry to begin appearing on the travel roster for BYU. He cracked into the two-deep at the outside edge for the TCU game on October 14.

In October, John Henry told KSL Sports that he was “surprised” when his older brother left the team.

Michael Daley officially announced his intention to enter the Transfer Portal on November 27.

Thank you, BYU! pic.twitter.com/fNLlbBhD8L

— Michael Daley (@MichaelDaley45) November 27, 2023

“I’ve made the decision to enter the transfer portal, maintaining three years of eligibility,” wrote Michael Daley on X. “My wife and I are excited and grateful for the future opportunities to come.”

The Daley brothers are BYU legacy prospects. Their father, Neal, played at BYU in the mid-1990s. He was a teammate with Kalani Sitake in 1994.

Coming out of Lone Peak, both Daley brothers were known for their pass-rushing ability. During John Henry’s senior year at Lone Peak in 2020, he recorded 22 sacks. For his career, he had 36.

Michael Daley had 24 sacks in his senior prep season in 2018.

BYU football is up to three players who have publicly declared their intention to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal. Long snapper Austin Riggs is the other loss besides the Daley brothers.

The NCAA transfer portal window for fall athletes runs from Monday, December 4, until January 2, 2024.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X and Threads: @Mitch_Harper.

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