Virginia Tech, Texas A&M Standing Out for Four-Star JUCO DE Kuony Deng

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September 15, 2018, 03:00 AM

Kuony Deng may not be a well-known name, but that won't be the case this time next year. That's because the talented defensive end plays for Independence Community College, the junior college that will once again be the location for the filming of season 4 of the popular Netflix documentary series Last Chance U. For any player, the constant cameras are likely unusual, but they become normal over time. "It's weird at first, but you get used to it. At first, I didn't want to say anything around them but after a while, it's like they're not there," Deng said. Season 4 of Last Chance U won't be released till next summer when Deng will be preparing for his first season of major college football with a pair of big name programs standing out in his recruitment. Deng told us recently that Virginia Tech and Texas A&M are currently standing out in his recruitment with Deng being "mainly focused" on those 2 schools. In addition, Deng told us that he plans to make a decision sometime in early October. Why are the Hokies standing out for Deng? "There's a lot of reasons to like VT. It's a great program with a good history. The coaches are really good and it would be a special opportunity to get to play in my home state," Deng said. Kuony Deng started his career as a two-sport athlete at VMI being coached in football by Justin Hamilton, Virginia Tech's current Director of Player Personnel for Defense. His relationship with Hamilton from his time at VMI has continued to be strong and is definitely advantageous for the Hokies' hopes of gaining his commitment. "It definitely helps because that's someone who understands my game and the different things I can do on the football field. Additionally, we've also built a relationship that's deeper than football so I know that everything I'm hearing from the staff is genuine," Deng said. That trust in Hamilton and trust by association that the Virginia Tech staff has gained is a huge positive for the Hokies. One thing that Kuony Deng hopes to do before his decision is take a visit to Virginia Tech, something that is a significant scheduling challenge given how his JUCO schedule is full of Saturday games in addition to the distance challenge playing in Kansas. Meanwhile, Deng was able to visit Texas A&M last week on an off week for their game against Clemson, a "good" visit where he mentioned that the "atmosphere was crazy." Deng also added that he felt the visit "helped A&M's case," but added that VT still stands out alongside the Aggies. Though the Hokies haven't been able to host him on a visit since offering him, they do have the benefit of being the home state school for the 6'6'' 230-pound DE prospect, something that does have some appeal to Deng. "It would be nice to play back in VA. It's something I've been thinking about lately, but I also have been trying not to give it too much stock in my process," Deng said. As Kuony Deng gets close to his decision, Virginia Tech and Texas A&M are making the final push to try to gain a commitment from one of the best JUCO players in the country. Either way, it's clear that Deng will be headed for primetime next fall after he makes his Netflix debut next summer.

Kuony Deng in the Recruiting Rankings

Deng is ranked as the ninth best JUCO recruit by the 247 Sports Composite, tenth best by Rivals, and 14th best by 247 Sports with Rivals and the 247 Sports Composite rating him as a four-star recruit. Deng is also ranked as the best JUCO OLB recruit by 247 Sports and the 247 Sports Composite though Virginia Tech is pursuing him as a defensive end.