Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 66-14vs Idaho | 3 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 3 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 43-10vs Arkansas | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Wk 3 | W 33-0vs Utah State | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Total | 6 | 4 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 3 |
#5
James Chenault
Junior cornerback on Utah's 2026 roster.
6′0″ · 180 lb · Orlando, FL · Jones HS
CFB Index 63 · #117 of 364 cornersLow confidenceTransferred South Florida → Utah for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
Recruiting
3★
CB recruit
No. 1863 nationally · Signed with South Florida
Last played in 2026.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior cornerback on Utah's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to South Florida in 2024.
- Transferred from South Florida to Utah in 2026.
James Chenault
Doesn't get beat deep and rarely gives up the big play. James Chenault has played for three head coaches across three seasons and two programs. The receipt: 3 tackles, 0.5 TFL against Idaho — Week 1, 2026.
6 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
20246 games
- Signed with South Florida3-star out of Jones
20263 games
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coaches2024–2025
Utah
2026era →
Morgan Scalley
Utah
Coaching transition mid-career: Kyle Whittingham → Morgan Scalley. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Utah
2025South Florida
2026Utah
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Utah | 6 | 4 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 3 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | South Florida | 32 | 20 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 4 | 2 | -- |
| 2024 | South Florida | 12 | 11 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 50 | 35 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 9 | 3 | -- |
Game log
Game by game
James Chenault's 2026 production
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 66–14
vs Idaho
0.5 tackles for loss · 3 tackles · 1 solo tackles
Dominant 52-point win at home against Idaho.
With D. Dampier — 176 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 93.5 · 31 rush yds (6 car) · B. Ficklin — 93 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 80.1 · 70 rush yds (8 car)
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +1 pass breakup, +1 tackle.
Season context · Team result + system
2024South Florida7-6HC: Alex Golesh · Balanced
2025South Florida9-4HC: Kevin Patrick · Run-leaning
2026Utah3-0HC: Morgan Scalley · Run-leaning
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Low confidenceAscending
Elite: passes defended (97th percentile). Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 2.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 2.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Morgan Scalley
Pass share
44.4%
91 pass / 114 run
Plays / game
68.3
3 games
Team sack rate
2.1%
97 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
How he plays
Play style
Steady in coverage; doesn't get beat deep and rarely gives up the big play.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Cover Corner
Steady in coverage; doesn't get beat deep and rarely gives up the big play.
CB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Martel Hight’s 2024 season.
Matches Martel on
PD rate
Height
Interceptions
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Korey Johnson's sophomore season at Air Force (2025).
Matches Korey on
Class year
Tackle volume
PD rate
Player DNA
Players who play like James Chenault
Background
Prior to Utah: Began his collegiate career at South Florida (2024-25). Played in nine games during the 2025 season with the Bulls, recording 32 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 interceptions and 4 passes defended. Made a season-best nine tackles vs. Florida Atlantic. Intercepted a pass at No. 5 Miami and vs.…
The secondary · Utah
- #23Jackson Bennee62 tackles · 2025
- #11Elijah Reed44 tackles · 2025
- #5James Chenault32 tackles · 2025
- #9Elijah Davis28 tackles · 2025
- #6Nate Ritchie20 tackles · 2025
20 more on the roster · Utah team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology