“This is a special day,” said Lions assistant head coach David Jones. “When a college comes to recruit you there’s a lot of research they put into these guys. Athletes really come a dime a dozen, there’s a million of athletes across the country, so in my mind the things colleges look for are the intangibles. They looked at these guys and looked at their integrity, their maturity, their determination, their hard work, and their academics – which is the big thing. Use football as a tool, but don’t forget you’re there to get an education and become a great person. When a college brings you into their fold, it’s a tribute to you all and your families because they raised you the right way.”
Deal said of his decision to head to Belton, “Just the culture when I stepped on campus at UMHB, it was like none other. They were calling me by nickname as soon as I got there and that just did something for me. I sat down with my family and we talked about it, it’s two hours from Brownwood which is perfect for my parents to get to the games and get back home. The coaches, I loved how they made me feel like family as soon as I got down there. I got to talk to some of the players, they’re a winning program, it checks a lot of boxes for me and I’m looking forward to it.”
Deal also garnered interest from Texas Tech, Abilene Christian and Lamar, among other schools.
Despite playing in just eight games as a senior due to injuries, Deal was a second-team all-district selection with a team-high 98 tackles, including one for loss, and one interception.
“The summer going into his sophomore year Khyren was the only sophomore on the tournament 7-on-7 team, and the way 7-on-7 works there isn’t supposed to be contact, and Khyren didn’t care,” said Lions defensive coordinator Brett Mouser. “Khyren was running through people, running over people and some people take offense to that, but Coach Jones and I put that in our mind and said ‘he’s going to play safety for us and he’s going to be a good one’ because he liked contact. One of the reasons college coaches noticed him on film was he really like contact, he’s a physical player and those are some of the intangibles that jumped out.”
Deal intends to pursue a degree in physical therapy.