Jamar Chaney Named to 40 Under 40
6/30/2026 9:42:00 AM | Football
WACO, Texas -- Baylor third-year linebackers coach Jamar Chaney has been selected to the annual 40 Under 40 List of up-and-coming collegiate coaches in the state of Texas by Dave Campbell's Texas Football, it was announced.
Chaney, who leads Baylor's linebackers and is in his third year in Waco, was one of 40 collegiate coaches honored on the list. A former All-Southeastern Conference linebacker at Mississippi State, Chaney worked with the inside linebackers from 2024-25 and now under the new scheme of defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman, leads the linebackers.
He previously spent the 2023 season as the outside linebackers coach at Western Kentucky, which followed the 2022 season as an analyst at Florida. In 2020-21 he was a senior defensive analyst at Mississippi State and was the assistant director of player personnel at Florida in 2019.
A native of Fort Pierce, Fla., Chaney is coming off a season where his linebackers once again excelled, led by Keaton Thomas, who charted a 105-tackle season with seven tackles for a loss. Kyland Reed emerged as a future star in 2025, totaling 49 tackles as the Bears managed through a pair of season-ending losses at the inside linebacker post to projected starters, including Travion Barnes.
Chaney's 2024 season featured eight wins and a trip to the Texas Bowl, highlighted by the dynamic duo of Thomas and Matt Jones. The pair combined for 227 tackles, with each going over 110 stops, marking the first linebacker duo with 100+ tackles in a season since 2010. The pair earned All-Big 12 Conference honors, led by Jones charting a career year with 113 tackles, 9.5 for a loss with four sacks.
A former star at MSU, Chaney went for 89 tackles in 2007 while leading the Bulldogs to eight wins. He finished his career from 2005-09 with 285 career tackles and was rated by Rivals in 2009 as the most underrated player in the SEC. He played in the 2010 Senior Bowl and was picked in the NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, spending time with the Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders.
The Bears open the 2026 season on Sept. 5, taking on Auburn at 2:30 p.m. on ABC in Atlanta in the Aflac Kickoff.
Chaney, who leads Baylor's linebackers and is in his third year in Waco, was one of 40 collegiate coaches honored on the list. A former All-Southeastern Conference linebacker at Mississippi State, Chaney worked with the inside linebackers from 2024-25 and now under the new scheme of defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman, leads the linebackers.
He previously spent the 2023 season as the outside linebackers coach at Western Kentucky, which followed the 2022 season as an analyst at Florida. In 2020-21 he was a senior defensive analyst at Mississippi State and was the assistant director of player personnel at Florida in 2019.
A native of Fort Pierce, Fla., Chaney is coming off a season where his linebackers once again excelled, led by Keaton Thomas, who charted a 105-tackle season with seven tackles for a loss. Kyland Reed emerged as a future star in 2025, totaling 49 tackles as the Bears managed through a pair of season-ending losses at the inside linebacker post to projected starters, including Travion Barnes.
Chaney's 2024 season featured eight wins and a trip to the Texas Bowl, highlighted by the dynamic duo of Thomas and Matt Jones. The pair combined for 227 tackles, with each going over 110 stops, marking the first linebacker duo with 100+ tackles in a season since 2010. The pair earned All-Big 12 Conference honors, led by Jones charting a career year with 113 tackles, 9.5 for a loss with four sacks.
A former star at MSU, Chaney went for 89 tackles in 2007 while leading the Bulldogs to eight wins. He finished his career from 2005-09 with 285 career tackles and was rated by Rivals in 2009 as the most underrated player in the SEC. He played in the 2010 Senior Bowl and was picked in the NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, spending time with the Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders.
The Bears open the 2026 season on Sept. 5, taking on Auburn at 2:30 p.m. on ABC in Atlanta in the Aflac Kickoff.
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