Toledo HB Chip Trayanum signs as undrafted free agent with New York Jets

Nowdays, it's common for collegiate athletes in the modern age to transfer schools in the hopes of finding their best opportunity for growth. The tales of athletes who transfer year-over-year have gone from shocking exception to milquetoast.

For Chip Trayanum, however, his NCAA career was anything but common.

A former four-star prospect who struggled to find not only a home but an on-field position in the four years prior to his arrival in Toledo, Trayanum managed to burst onto the scene in 2025, cementing himself as one of the MAC's best halfbacks.

On Saturday afternoon, Trayanum's dream of getting to the NFL was finally realized, signing with the New York Jets as a priority free agent in the post-draft process.

Trayanum began his career with the Arizona State Sun Devils in 2020, leading ASU with 290 yards and four touchdowns on the ground in four games. Trayanum's first full season was in 2021, collecting 402 yards and six touchdowns on 78 attempts as a rotation back.

Trayanum moved closer to home in 2022, transferring to Ohio State. He played two seasons for the Buckeyes, moving back and forth between halfback and linebacker. 2023 saw him go back to offense, finishing second on the team with 373 yards and four touchdowns rushing as the primary back-up to TreVeyon Henderson.

Trayanum would transfer again in 2024, looking for a starting opportunity after Ole Miss' Quinshon Judkins was brought in by the Buckeyes. He played three games for the Kentucky Wildcats before an injury derailed his season.

2025 saw Trayanum move to the "Group" ranks, taking a chance with the Toledo Rockets. The prior season was one of the worst rushing campaigns in the last decade for the Rockets, so Trayanum's signing was seen as a low-risk, high-reward move to re-ignite the offense.

The high reward was quickly realized, as Trayanum, who was elected a team captain for the Rockets, would finish his senior campaign with 1,014 rushing yards and 12 rushing TDs on 182 carries, averaging a cool 5.6 yards per rush. He was also the team's fourth-leading receiver, with 21 catches for 212 yards and two touchdowns. In 12 starts, Trayanum notched four games of 100+ yards rushing and two additional games with 100+ scrimmage yards, scoring at least one touchdown in 11 games. Trayanum would earn first-team all-MAC honors for his efforts, finishing second in the league in rushing.

Looking at his professional fit, Trayanum is an uber-athletic halfback bursting with potential. He has a near-perfect size/speed/strength profile for a halfback at the pro level, and the tape shows a bulldozer who is just as capable of running someone into the ground as he is making a cut to get into the open field when he is at the top of his game.

He is a dense, compact power back who was productive at creating yards after contact at Toledo, and is at his best when he's told where to aim and fires, utilizing his top-flight speed to supplement good vision and a violent running style. His physicality is off-the-charts; he was simply bigger, better and meaner than most of the players on the field at the MAC level.

For all the good, there are a few questions.

Trayanum did mollywhop on some dreadful MAC defenses in 2025, with notable drops in performance against Power teams (averaged 3.4 yards per carry against Kentucky and Louisville) and unexpected struggles against a moribund NIU team (36 yards) and FCS also-ran Morgan State (44 yards). He also has a worrisome hand injury history, with two surgeries back in 2024, and will be 24 years old after six years of college football when he arrives at camp, potentially limiting his ceiling.

Trayanum is also a virtual no-go in the receiving game despite charting with Toledo, as he was more of a last-ditch target than a reliable blanket on a team full of passcatching options.

He's also still relatively unpolished in pass protection– though he did show some promise in that department. The move to linebacker at Ohio State likely stunted some of the finer parts of pass protection, as did the inability to stay on the field at Kentucky. However, he has shown willingness to pop defenders on pass-play situations and could be valuable there if given the chance to develop.

Overall, the numbers and highlights show an athlete with potential to stick to an NFL roster. However, there should be some reservation as well, as his film must be watched with the context of the level of competition involved, especially as it concerns reading the line of scrimmage. He might not be able to get away with his style of play at the pro level when the speed is notched up.

All said, he should complete right away for a bottom-roster or practice squad spot as a special teamer with upside as a third-down back who can both run downhill and pass block in the right system.