Deron Irving-Bey, Chuck Jones enter transfer portal
In an offseason full of roster turnover, Central Michigan saw two defensive players enter the NCAA transfer portal in as many days.
On Thursday, the Detroit News' Angelique Chengelis reported that linebacker Chuck Jones had entered the portal, with 247Sports reporting Friday that defensive lineman Deron Irving-Bey had followed suit.
Irving-Bey, a former four star recruit, transferred to CMU in the fall of 2018 from the University of Michigan. The Flint native participated in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in 2017 and received 17 offers before settling on Michigan.
Upon coming to CMU, Irving-Bey was academically dismissed after the 2018 fall semester. He returned to the school and the program in 2019, but dressed for just one game in two seasons.
Jones played in 26 games for the Chippewas in four seasons. He redshirted as a freshman in 2017 and played in six games in 2018 before establishing a role as CMU's backup middle linebacker in 2019. In that season, Jones played in all 14 games and made 43 tackles.
In 2020, Jones made one start and played in all six games but made just six tackles.
The duo are the fourth and fifth players on the Chippewa defense to enter the transfer portal in the offseason. Defensive lineman Mohamed Diallo and cornerbacks Brandon Brown and Kyron McKinnie-Harper each entered the portal since the 2020 season ended.
On the offensive side, offensive lineman Romello Tarver entered the portal on Jan. 14 and has since committed to play at McNeese State University.
