Biography
Pronunciation
coin dang
Deng's Cal Career Game Highs
Tackles: 16 (at Utah, 2019)
Tackles For Loss: 2.0 (vs. USC, 2019)
Tackle For Loss Yards: 7 (three times, last vs. Oregon, 2020)
Sacks: 1.5 (at Ole Miss, 2019)
Sack Yards: 7 (at Ole Miss, 2019)
Forced Fumbles: 2 (vs. Oregon, 2020)
Fumble Recoveries: 1 (at Oregon, 2019)
Quarterback Hurries: 2 (vs. UC Davis, 2019)
Pass Breakups: 4 (at UCLA, 2019)
After Cal
• Announced he was foregoing a possible seventh and final season of collegiate eligibility to declare for the 2022 NFL Draft on Dec. 27, 2021
Cal Career (2019-21)
• Started all 19 games he played in at Cal over three seasons from 2019-21 but missed the final 10 contests of his 2021 senior campaign due to injury
• Posted Cal career totals of 154 tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss (-37 yards), 3.5 sacks (-14 yards), eight pass breakups, eight passes defended, six quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery
• Recorded career highs of 119 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss (-27 yards), 3.0 sacks (-12 yards), eight pass breakups, eight passes defended, five quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery while playing in and starting a career-high all 13 games as a 2019 junior
• Had both of his career forced fumbles as a 2020 senior in the fourth quarter of a win over Oregon
• Recorded 10 or more tackles six times including five as a 2019 junior and one as a 2020 senior
• Voted by his teammates as a season captain in both his senior seasons in 2020 and 2021
Senior (2021)
• Team season captain for second consecutive campaign
• Started each of the first two games and contributed four tackles but did not play again after suffering a season-ending injury on the first drive of the game at TCU drive
• Nevada - 3 tackles
• at TCU - 1 tackle ... left the game after suffering injury on TCU's first offensive drive
• All-California Region Second-Team Preseason (SportsPac12)
• All-Pac-12 Preseason Second Team (PowerRatings.com), Third Team (Athlon, Lindy’s), Fourth Team (Phil Steele), and Honorable Mention (Pac-12 Media)
• Key Golden Bears (Athlon)
• Lott IMPACT Trophy Preseason Watch List
• No. 7 Preseason NFL Draft Eligible Inside Linebacker (Phil Steele)
• No. 7 Preseason NFL Draft Guide Inside Linebacker (Phil Steele)
• Pac-12 Media Day Representative
• NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Big Board
• Players To Watch (Athlon)
• Rotary Lombardi Award Preseason Watch List
• The Butkus® Award Preseason Watch List
Senior (2020)
• Started all four games in a season shortened by COVID-19 and led the team with 31 tackles and two forced fumbles, while adding 2.5 tackles for loss (-10 yards) and one quarterback hurry
• Ranked tied for third in the Pac-12 and tied for fourth nationally with 0.5 forced fumbles per game while he was tied for 10th in the conference in tackles with 7.8 stops per contest
• Served as a team season captain for the first of two consecutive campaigns
• Recorded a season-high 14 tackles and 1.0 tackle for loss (-3 yards) against Stanford with the 14 tackles also the most by a Cal player in 2020
• Had eight stops, 1.5 tackles for loss (-7 yards), 0.5 sacks (-2 yards) and two critical forced fumbles both in Cal territory in the fourth quarter to end potential go-ahead scoring drives and preserve a 21-17 win over No. 23/21/20 Oregon
• Earned Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career and Cal's Co-Defensive Player of the Week recognition for his performance against Oregon
• Had five tackles and one quarterback hurry in the season-opener at UCLA
• Picked up four tackles at Oregon State
• On preseason watch lists for the Bednarik Award and the Lott IMPACT Trophy honoring the nation's top defensive player, as well as the Butkus® Award recognizing the country's best linebacker
• A first-team preseason All-Pac-12 pick of Phil Steele, as well as a second-team choice of Athlon Sports, Jon Wilner of the Bay Area News Group, Pick Six Previews and the Pac-12 media, and a third-team selection of Lindy's
• Named the preseason California Region Defensive Player of the Year and All-California Region by SportsPac12
• A member of the Reese's Senior Bowl Top 250
Junior (2019)
• Earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors in a vote of the league's coaches and was a second-team selection of Phil Steele in his first season at Cal
• One of seven players overall and five on the defensive side of the ball to start all 13 games
• Earned Cal's Andy Smith Award by playing the most snaps to compile the most Big C playing time
• Second on the team with 119 tackles, while adding 7.5 tackles for loss (-27 yards), 3.0 sacks (-12 yards), eight pass breakups, eight passes defended, five quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery
• Combined with Evan Weaver (182 tackles) to form the nation's leading FBS duo with 301 total tackles (23.2 per game) that was within six stops of Cal's school record of 307 established by Weaver (159) and Jordan Kunaszyk (148) in 2018 with the two seasons the top campaigns by a Pac-12 duo since 2000
• Ranked third in the Pac-12 and 15th nationally with his 119 tackles, while he was fourth in the Pac-12 and 27th nationally in per-game total tackles with 9.2
• Had five double-digit tackle games and at least six stops in all 13 contests
• Registered at least 1.0 tackle for loss six times
• Posted a career-high 16 tackles at Utah
• Co-led the team with a game-high-tying 12 tackles while pacing the squad with two passes defended and two quarterback hurries in his debut for Cal as the starter at one inside linebacker spot opposite Weaver in the season-opener against UC Davis to earn the team's Defensive Player of the Week honors
• Had a game-high 12 tackles at Oregon while adding 1.0 tackle for loss (-2 yards) and his first career fumble recovery
• Had 11 tackles against both USC and Oregon State, adding a career-high 2.0 tackles for loss (career-high-tying -7 yards) and 0.5 sacks (-2 yards) against the Trojans, as well as 1.0 tackle for loss (-3 yards) and one quarterback hurry against Oregon State
• Registered nine tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss (-3 yards) and 1.0 sack (-3 yards) at Washington
• Had eight tackles at Ole Miss and in the Redbox Bowl vs. Illinois, adding 1.5 tackles for loss (career-high-tying -7 yards) and a career-high 1.5 sacks (career-high -7 yards) at Ole Miss, as well as one quarterback hurry against the Illini
• Had seven tackles at UCLA, as well as against Arizona State and Washington State, adding a career-high four pass breakups against the Bruins and two pass breakups as well as one quarterback hurry against the Cougars
• Had six tackles against North Texas and at Stanford, adding 1.0 tackle for loss (-5 yards) against the Mean Green
• A first-team midseason All-Pac-12 selection of the Bay Area News Group
• Fourth-team preseason All-Pac-12 choice of Phil Steele
• Registered four tackles and one interception in the spring game
• One of seven scholarship players who were mid-year enrollees in January and participated with the team during its 2019 spring practices along with fellow transfers DeShawn Collins, Devon Modster and Isaiah Humphries, as well as incoming freshmen Braxten Croteau, Orin Patu and Makai Polk
• Was also able to practice with Cal prior to the Cheez-It Bowl in December of 2018 after signing his National Letter of Intent earlier in the month
Independence Community College (2018)
• Recorded 48 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss (-26 yards), 1.0 sack (-26 yards), one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and six pass breakups as a 2018 sophomore
• Wore No. 8
Virginia Military Institute (2016-17)
• Played in nine games and recorded 16 tackles as a 2016 freshman before adding 11 tackles as a 2017 sophomore in two contests before redshirting
• Also on the school’s basketball team and participated in one game as a 2017-18 sophomore
John Champe HS (Class of 2016)
• A two-way player who participated for two seasons of varsity football as a 2014 junior and 2015 senior
• Named the 4A Conference 22 Region Player of the Year and the Loudoun Times Defensive Player of the Year while also being a first-team Loudoun Times selection as a 2015 senior when he had 33 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss, four pass breakups, 2.0 sacks (-17 yards), one fumble recovery and one blocked punt for a team that finished 11-1 overall and reached the quarterfinals of the Group 4A state playoffs
• Added 16 receptions for 334 yards and one touchdown catch as a senior
• Junior squad finished 8-4 overall
• Wore No. 12 in football as a senior and No. 13 as a junior
• Also played two seasons of varsity basketball
• Earned both All-State and 4A Conference 22 Region Player of the Year honors as a 2015-16 senior when he averaged 19.2 points per game for a team that finished 23-5 overall and reached the semifinals of the Group 4A state playoffs
• Played for a 2014-15 junior team that finished 19-5 overall and won the 3A Conference 28 title with an 8-1 league record
• Wore No. 23 in basketball
Recruiting Notes And Ratings – Junior College (As Of December 18, 2018)
Stars: 247Sports Composite (4), ESPN (4), Rivals (4), 247Sports (3)
National Overall Player Ratings: 247Sports Composite (11), 247Sports (14), Rivals (14), ESPN (24)
National Outside Linebacker Ratings: 247Sports (1), 247Sports Composite (1), ESPN (3)
Virginia Overall Player Ratings: 247Sports (4), 247Sports Composite (4)
Ratings/Scout Grades: 247Sports Composite (0.8925), 247Sports (89), ESPN (80), Rivals (5.8)
Other
• Born August 17, 1998
• Son of Nyarok Chan
• Graduated from Cal in December of 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in American studies before earning graduate certificates in entrepreneurship in May of 2021 and business administration in December of 2021
Last Updated
February 25, 2022
