Former BYU DE Michael Daley Finds New Home Out Of Transfer Portal
Dec 18, 2023, 5:50 PM
Former BYU Football DE/LB Michael Daley has announced his commitment to the Rice Owls. (Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
(Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
PROVO, Utah – Former BYU defensive end/linebacker Michael Daley has found a new landing spot out of the Transfer Portal.
On Monday night, Daley announced on X that he is committed to playing for the Rice Owls.
Committed. #intellectualbrutality @RiceFootball @RiceOwlsFB pic.twitter.com/6gOMmyPlZX
— Michael Daley (@MichaelDaley45) December 19, 2023
Rice University is based out of Houston, Texas, and plays in the American Athletic Conference. The Owls finished 2023 with a 6-6 record and will play in the First Responder Bowl on December 26.
Daley committed to Rice days after his younger brother, John Henry, committed to play for the University of Utah. John Henry Daley was also part of the BYU football program during the 2023 season.
Michael is the second former BYU player in the 2024 transfer portal cycle to land at another FBS school.
Daley left the BYU program after the Cougars win over Cincinnati on September 29.
Michael Daley snapshot with BYU football
The 6-foot-2, 235-pound Daley was a heralded addition to BYU’s 2019 recruiting class. He was a three-star prospect from Lone Peak High School, picking BYU over interest from UCLA, TCU, and others.
During his senior year at Lone Peak, Daley was No. 2 nationally in sacks. He finished with 24 sacks for the Knights during the 2018 high school football season.
After serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Daley joined the BYU football program in 2021. He redshirted that season, suiting up in one contest, the Independence Bowl.
In 2022, Daley was believed to be on track for a significant role in the defense as a linebacker. During the first week of fall camp of practices, he was one of the top performers, but then, shortly after, he suffered a season-ending injury.
He returned to action during spring practices this year, but his availability was hit-and-miss. During the 2023 spring practice that was open to the public inside LaVell Edwards Stadium, Daley was off to the side, working with strength coaches.
Daley was a participant during fall camp practice. He has appeared in five games this season, playing 12 snaps.
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.
