Chip Trayanum

DeaMonte "Chip" Trayanum is an American football running back who plays for Kentucky Wildcats. He previously played for the Arizona State Sun Devils and Ohio State Buckeyes.

Early life
Trayanum was born in Akron, Ohio. He attended Archbishop Hoban High School where he was a four-year starter and helped them win three consecutive state championships. As a junior, he played running back and linebacker, averaging 12.4 yards-per-rush and gaining 1,313 rushing yards with 26 touchdowns while also having eight sacks in his school's undefeated season.

Trayanum was named a first-team All-Ohio Division II selection for his performance. Prior to his senior season, he committed to play college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils as the first-ranked running back in Ohio, a four-star recruit, the fifth-best player in the state and the 24th-best running back nationally according to 247Sports. His missed much of his senior season due to injury.

College career
Trayanum had the options to play linebacker or running back coming out of high school and opted to play the latter at Arizona State. As a true freshman for the Sun Devils, he appeared in all four games during the COVID-19-shortened season and totaled 290 rushing yards and four touchdowns, averaging 5.9 yards-per-carry. The following season, he played nine games and ran 78 times for 402 yards with six touchdowns, averaging 5.2 yards-per-carry although his playing time decreased after two fumbles. He entered the NCAA transfer portal after the year.

Trayanum ultimately transferred to his hometown Ohio State Buckeyes. He changed his position to linebacker upon joining the team. He played several positions in his first season, including linebacker, return specialist, and late in the year switched back to running back due to Ohio State's lack of depth at the position. He had his top game of the season against the Michigan Wolverines, running for 83 yards on 14 attempts. Trayanum finished the year with 92 rushing yards, 13 total tackles and three kickoff returns for 29 yards.

Trayanum entered the 2023 season as the third-string running back on the depth chart, behind TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams. He scored his first touchdown in an Ohio State uniform against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on a 40-yard run. Against Notre Dame the following week, he scored a game-winning one-yard touchdown in the last second to win 17–14.

On December 6, 2023, Trayanum announced that he would be entering the transfer portal. He committed to Kentucky on December 12, 2023.