Following a breakout season at the University of Utah, star defensive end John Henry Daley announced Tuesday that he will enter the transfer portal.
He will have two years of eligibility remaining wherever he lands.
The transfer portal window officially opens Jan. 2.
Daley suffered a season-ending lower-leg injury in Utah’s 51-47 comeback win over Kansas State on Nov. 22.
Prior to that, the redshirt sophomore and transfer from BYU had been a force on the defensive front. Daley finished the 2025 season with 48 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a pass breakup.
As a result, he was named to the All-Big 12 first team and also earned All-American honors.
One potential destination could be Michigan, where Daley’s former head coach, Kyle Whittingham, is taking over the Wolverines program after 21 seasons as Utah’s head coach.
In announcing his decision to enter the portal, Daley indicated he will be “fully healthy by spring of 2026.” That came one day after Daley, in responding to another tweet on the social media platform X, indicated that recovery time for his injury would be six months and that he would be available for the 2026 season.
Entering the bowl season, Daley was second nationally in sacks per game, at 1.05 per contest. His 11.5 sacks, even with his missed time due to injury, still ranks fifth nationally.
In Daley’s final game as a Ute, before he left injured in the first quarter, he had four tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.
The 6-foot-4, 255-pound Daley, who hails from Alpine, Utah, and prepped at Lone Peak High, originally signed with BYU and played in three games for the Cougars in 2023. He transferred to Utah ahead of the 2024 season.