⚡ CFB Dashboard

There was only one position room that was truly decimated in the transfer portal this offseason, and it came at the cornerback room. Utah brings back just three players from last year's team, but Sharrieff Shah made quite a few impressive additions, including adding former USF corner James Chenault for the 2026 season. Chenault had quite a few suitors in the portal, but Utah was the place to be. "Having a strong foundation, a strong environment, I'm coming into. The competition here is very big," Chenault said about why Utah was the destination. Shah has been known as one of the best evaluators and developers of corner talent nationally, and Chenault jumped at the chance to be coached by someone like him. "He's enthusiastic every time we come out here, he's not a new person. He just got great energy. He loves to coach you. He loves a game of football, and he just loves to make you better as a person," he said. That love can only go so far as the battle rages on for playing time at corner. With only one spot truly locked down by Scooby Davis, the rest of the room is jockeying for playing time. "I feel like we all push each other in the room to get better every day, like we know it's a certain standard we got to uphold in the room. So we just know to hold each other to that standard and just get better every day," Chenault said. "It all starts in the corner room. If we can't stop anybody up or down the field, we can't really do anything at all. So we just know we got to do our job every day and just come out here and get better." Chenault brings some versatility to the corner room, he can play nickel or even on the outside, depending on the personnel package. "I just bring savvy, I play with a different type of swagger. I think I bring a different energy to the game. I just bring myself," he said. Not only do Chenualt and the rest of the corners need to learn the intricacies of this defense, but they also have to practice against some high-level wide receivers. "When I first got here early on, Braden Pagen and Kyri Shoels, we're definitely going at it every day. We've been growing every day, going at it sharp and iron. So I just love them both," Chenault said. As the final few weeks of spring ball kick off on Monday, Chenault continues to look for leadership from some of the veterans around him. "Lance Holtzclaw, Nate Ritchie, Jackson Bennee, and Scooby Davis have definitely been helping me out since I've been here. They've had a big impact on how I go in and come to the building every day. So just listening to them and following behind them, I feel like I could be a good step up on the team," Chenault said.