Bryce Deas, versatile defensive athlete, signs with Auburn

Defensive athlete Bryce Deas of Baltimore (Md.) St. Francis signed with Auburn on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period. 

The Deas File

Position: Linebacker

Height/Weight: 6-foot-1 / 205 pounds

Notable trait/Auburn fit: Deas is simply an athlete. He plays both ways for one of the best high school programs in the nation. His fit at Auburn is to take over at Dime backer, the position that was locked down by Eugene Asante.  

On3 Industry Ranking: (87.88) No. 601 overall, No. 66 linebacker, No. 19 in Maryland

Commitment date: June 11, 2024

Chose Auburn over: Notre Dame, Penn State

Time of enrollment: January

Notable: Deas was a camp standout. He actually came down with his teammate Blake Woodby. Deas was not offered by many schools at the time. After seeing him camp, Auburn pulled the trigger. Deas had no intentions of waiting for more offers. He was in the class less than a week later.

Quoteworthy: “Coming from our team, we don’t get too many times to play at home. Coming into Jordan-Hare and seeing the fans take it so seriously. Coming into the game they have energy and it is just good to see that. I wouldn’t want to play under any other lights. The atmosphere is amazing. I just can’t wait to experience it when I’m on the field. It only just pushes me to play my best on the biggest stage in front of the fans. I can’t wait. “War damn, war damn, war damn. I’m ready, man. I can’t wait to get on the plains and show y’all what I have to give.”

Film Breakdown

***Film breakdown written by Auburn Live Analyst Cole Pinkston..

— Deas is a tough case to crack. His film does not show as much as I would like. There are, however, flashes of big time playmaking ability.

— In seeing Deas in person, he is a big guy with an excellent frame. He absolutely has the look of a major college football player and has already filled out his frame pretty well. He is currently 208 pounds on a 6-foot-2 frame. 220 pounds is probably the peak for his frame. 

— Deas’ quickness pops on film. He fires off of the ball, but seems to have an even quicker second step. He gains speed after the initial twitch off the ball. That is a good sign.

— Strangely enough, he mainly plays as an edge rusher for his high school. So, we don’t get to see how he plays out in space which is how Auburn seems to want to employ him. 

— I think the idea, with Deas’ numbers such as a 4.5 40 time, great change of direction and quickness, and the ability to play on the edge as a smaller guy, Auburn sees a three-level player. This is a rare type of defender. 

— Yes, Deas is similar to current safety Kaleb Harris. I watched Harris play all three levels of defense for his high school more than once. He played all three at a high level. I believe Deas is very similar in that aspect.

— Deas understands how to get off of blocks. He uses his hands well and has a high motor. Deas has better pass rush moves than a lot of big time edge prospects at this points.

— Deas has knack for disrupting. He can get a hand on the ball and knock it loose, he runs down ball carriers all over the field, falls on fumbles, and gets clean hits on the quarterback as a pass rusher. He has a high level of defensive football knowledge. 

— At this time, I do not think Deas is ready to play on the next level, but he has the intangibles necessary to do so. Right now, he needs some polishing. For the most part, he is lined up in different spots to disrupt. He has not been given a true position yet even in high school ball. It seems like the transition to learning specific positions, that are not on the edge, will take some time. His versatility on the defensive side, though, will help when he gets his feet under him.