Memphis continues to add through the transfer portal by beefing up the defensive line with the addition of Stone Chaney. Chaney becomes the 12th defensive lineman to sign to the Tigers out of the transfer portal and the fifth player to sign or commit from a Power Four program.
Chaney was a three-star recruit in the class of 2024, and he joined the Michigan State program as a preferred walk-on. The defensive lineman had only two FBS offers out of high school, from Army and Toledo, but decided to stay in his hometown and join the Spartans.
Chaney played in one game during his true freshman season, recording two tackles and 1.5 tackles for a loss on five snaps against Prairie View A&M, before taking a redshirt. He didn’t see any action in 2025 during his redshirt freshman season due to an injury.
The edge rusher visited Memphis over the weekend, and a few days later, the program announced his signing.
As a high school senior, Chaney recorded 36 tackles and eight tackles for loss, helping lead Catholic Central to an 8-3 record during the 2023 season.
Similar to the Tigers, Michigan State is undergoing a lot of roster turnover after the university fired Jonathan Smith and hired Pat Fitzgerald. As a walk-on, Chaney likely thought the coaching change created the best opportunity for a change of scenery and took it as an opportunity to enter the portal.
The redshirt freshman had visits set up at Arkansas State, Buffalo, Fresno State and Marshall in addition to Memphis. Chaney will have four seasons of eligibility remaining.
Chaney is the 31st signee that the Tigers have announced, but there are still a few players who are committed but have yet to be announced.