Independence CC OLB Kuony Deng Discusses Commitment to Cal

The smoke postponing the Big Game from November 17th had a few different effects. One of the biggest in retrospect may have been how it changed the visit of Kuony Deng. Deng, rated as the tenth best junior college prospect in the country by Rivals, had booked his OV to Cal for the Big Game, but the game got moved right around the time when he would've been in transit to California from Kansas. It ended up being a good thing for the Bears' now highest rated commit

"It ended up being beneficial for me," Deng told GoldenBearReport via Twitter DM, "because I was able to spend more time around the coaches and players. I definitely felt like I connected with the people who make up the program."

Cal landed the commitment of the Independence CC outside linebacker Friday thanks to thos connections, and in particular, Deng had formed a relationship with inside linebackers coach Peter Sirmon.

"I’ve built the strongest relationship with coach Sirmon," Deng said, "I really like coach Sirmon and the guys on the team all love him as well. He played in the NFL for years and that’s what I hope to do, so I’m excited to be around someone with that knowledge."

After betting on himself, transferring to Independence from VMI after a year, Deng showed the ability to play multiple positions in Independence's defense, moving around from a rush linebacker spot to some inside linebacker positioning. It's something that is set to continue for the Bears.

"Yeah, we’ve talked about the possibility of playing different positions within a single series to take advantage of match ups," Deng said, "I take a lot of pride in my versatility and I love to make plays so that’s something that definitely excites me."

With Deng, the Bears have another player with a unique toolset, a 6'6", 235 lb outside linebacker who can play the 'glory' position, as Tim DeRuyter calls it, while also being a threat to bat down passes. Along with the academic side of things (Deng plans on majoring in business), it made Berkeley a fit for the Aldie, VA native.

"There are a lot of reasons why I chose Cal," Deng said, "but the two biggest priorities for me were the strength of the education and my fit within the defense. Cal was the perfect place for both of those things because it’s the #1 Public School in America but I can also picture myself making a lot of plays within the defense. I have a lot of aspirations for what I want to do on the field so my decision was always going to balance those two things, and I found the perfect fit in Cal."

Next up for Deng is signing with the Bears in December and enrolling in January not too long after that, as he'll join Justin Wilcox's squad for Spring Ball.

"I really respect coach Wilcox and what he’s doing with the program," Deng said, "I think he’s excited about bringing me into Cal and I'm excited to join the team soon."