BREAKING: GSC Player of the Year, UAH transfer wing Chaney Johnson has committed to Auburn

Chaney Johnson, the Gulf South Conference Player of the Year at the University of Alabama-Huntsville and one of the top wings in the transfer portal, has committed to Auburn basketball.

Johnson announced his decision Friday on social media.

“I committed to Auburn because it felt like home in all aspects,” he told Auburn Live.

His commitment comes soon after leaving an official visit to the Plains.

“I played pick-up with some of the guys during my visit and it just felt comfortable,” he said. “It felt good. It felt like family. (The visit) was everything I thought it would be and more, everything I could’ve asked for.

“I had a wonderful time. Bruce (Pearl) showed me a wonderful time. Coach Steven (Pearl) showed me a wonderful time. The whole coaching staff did.”

Official visit big factor for Johnson

Johnson left with his mind already made.

“Everything just felt good,” he said. “The campus is beautiful. Everybody knows Auburn has a beautiful campus, but it was good to get here and look around see for myself.”

Johnson, who played his high school ball at Thompson in Alabaster, Ala., is ranked the No. 7 small forward in the transfer portal and No. 33 overall in On3’s Transfer Portal Ranking.

And for good reason.

He led UAH in scoring this past season with 16.0 points per game. He also added 6.6 rebounds. Johnson is being recruited to Auburn to play the 3 or 4 spot.

RELATED: On3 Transfer SF Ranking

RELATED: On3 Transfer Ranking

In three seasons at UAH, Johnson, who is listed at 6-foot-7 and 215 pounds, combined to shoot 54.8% from the floor and 37.2% from the 3-point line. He has two years of eligibility.

Johnson is the second transfer to commit to Auburn, joining combo guard Denver Jones, who committed and subsequently signed with the Tigers earlier in April.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. 

Transfer portal background information

The NCAA Transfer Portal, which covers every NCAA sport at the Division I, II and III levels, is a private database with names of student-athletes who wish to transfer. It is not accessible to the public.

The process of entering the portal is done through a school’s compliance office. Once a player provides written notification of an intent to transfer, the office enters the player’s name in the database and everything is off and running. The compliance office has 48 hours to comply with the player’s request and that request cannot be refused.

Once a player’s name shows up in the portal, other schools can contact the player. Players can change their minds at any point and withdraw from the portal. However, once a player enters the portal, the current scholarship no longer has to be honored. In other words, if a player enters the portal but decides to stay, the school is not obligated to provide a scholarship anymore.

More intel on the On3 database

The database is a normal database, sortable by a variety of topics, including (of course) sport and name. A player’s individual entry includes basic details such as contact info, whether the player was on scholarship and whether the player is transferring as a graduate student.

A player can ask that a “do not contact” tag be placed on the report. In those instances, the players don’t want to be contacted by schools unless they’ve initiated the communication.

The portal has been around since Oct. 15, 2018 and the new calendar cycle within the portal begins each August. For example, the 2021-22 cycle started Aug. 1. During the 2020-21 cycle, 2,626 FBS football players entered the transfer portal (including walk-ons). That comes after 1,681 entered during the 2019-20 cycle and 1,709 during the abbreviated 2018-19 cycle. In comparison, 1,833 Division I basketball players entered the portal during the 2020-21 cycle after totals of 1,020 in 2019-20 and 1,063 in 2018-19.