UND's Deng Deng transforms from red-zone threat to one of MVFC's best

Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald By Tom Miller Today at 8:38 AM Listen Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? GRAND FORKS — In 2024, UND offensive coordinator Danny Freund and former wide receivers coach Sam King went to Four Winds High School in Fort Totten, N.D., to see 2024 North Dakota Mr. Basketball winner Deng Deng, an emerging football prospect. Freund and King saw enough to make sure Deng came to UND on a recruiting visit. ADVERTISEMENT "I can just remember on the visit when he put the uniform on ... like he looked like an SEC receiver," Freund said. "It was like, man, this guy looks like a million bucks. Hopefully, he can play that way someday." The high-ceiling projections have been draped on Deng for years. In his third season on campus, Deng's development is matching those lofty expectations. In last Saturday's 49-21 win over Illinois State, Deng recorded the first multiple-touchdown game of his career. He finished with four grabs for 81 yards, which included a career-long 41-yard reception. MVFC leaders Receiving yards per game 1. Lynn Wyche-El, YSU, 93.7 2. Jayden Reed, Indiana State, 76.1 3. Deng Deng, UND, 70.18 4. Kyle Thomas, SIU, 69.4 5. Dylan Lord, Illinois State, 63.0 He was also dominant in pass blocking on the perimeter. "I noticed it right in January," UND coach Eric Schmidt said. "He felt like he belonged. I just think you go through a certain evolution as a player where maybe when he first came here, there's some anxiety. Can I?" Deng played in four games as he redshirted in 2024. In 2025, Deng became a red-zone weapon for the Hawks but wasn't an every-down option. In 2025, Deng had 16 catches and five went for touchdowns. In the first five weeks of the year, Deng had five catches and four touchdown catches. ADVERTISEMENT This season, Deng has 53 catches for 771 yards and four touchdowns. Deng is third in the Missouri Valley Football Conference in yards per game at 70.18 — trailing only Youngstown State's Lynn Wyche-El (93.7) and Indiana State's Jayden Reed (76.1). "There were some things I think he needed to add to his skill set," Schmidt said. "I think one of those (skills) was just twitch. Being able to get off the football and and get to top speed in a hurry. He came to college a year early. He's a 17 year old college student when most guys are showing up when they're 18 or close to 19, so he had some work to do there. "I felt like he just changed after last year that he felt like, all right, this is the time now for me to go out there and prove that I'm not just a red-zone guy. I'm not just a niche football player. I can go out there and be a three-down, 55-60 play guy. He's probably been the most complete, competitive guy for us week in, week out. And that's really what I love about him." Earlier this season, Deng was gaining most of his yards on back-shoulder throws and jump-ball routes. In recent weeks, Deng has increased his yards after the catch. He's proving difficult to tackle with a frame of 6-foot-4, 224 pounds. That physicality is adding some hidden yards, as well, drawing facemask penalties and pass interference calls. "He loves to compete," Freund said. "You saw him the other day when he dropped a couple of balls. It didn't faze him. He just wants to go make the next play and can kind of handle that. He has a good failure mechanism to be able to overcome it, and we want that on our team. I think some guys it takes a little bit of time to kind of get out of a funk. With him, it doesn't matter. He just wants to go compete. I thought on Saturday his blocking was unbelievable. He really improved in that area. That was a challenge to the entire team — this game is going to be won on the perimeter because they had a really good front seven." Schmidt said Deng has an ability to frustrate opponents with his physicality, then possesses the emotional intelligence to avoid engaging with angry defensive backs. ADVERTISEMENT "You saw it the other day ... it can be an emotional game, and I think guys at times can let that get the best of them," Schmidt said. "That happened to some of the defensive backs for Illinois State. (Deng) doesn't. The last play doesn't affect his next play. I really appreciate that about him. He never gets too high, never gets too low ... he's been extraordinary at the ordinary things and that's where he's evolved." UND football news UND football looking forward to a return to health during bye 17h ago 5 things you might've missed in UND's 49-21 win over Illinois State 2d ago UND, banged-up Jerry Kaminski blast Illinois State 49-21 2d ago LIVE BLOG: Illinois State at UND football, 1 p.m. 2d ago UND's developing rush attack to face tough test 3d ago Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? Tags Tags UND FOOTBALL UND SPORTS NORTH DAKOTA FIGHTING HAWKS By Tom Miller Miller has covered sports at the Grand Forks Herald since 2004 and was the state sportswriter of the year in 2019 (NSMA, NDAPSSA), 2022 (NSMA, NDAPSSA), 2024 (NDAPSSA) and 2025 (NDAPSSA). His primary beat is UND football but also reports on a variety of UND sports and local preps. 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