Deon King

Deon Jerome King (born July 2, 1993) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Norfolk State Spartans.

Early life King attended South Lakes High School in Reston, Virginia. As a sophomore, he had 9 sacks. As a junior, he collected 12 sacks. As a senior linebacker, he posted 100 tackles and 10 sacks, while receiving All-Liberty District honors

He also competed in the shot put and received All-district honors as a senior. He enrolled at Fork Union Military Academy to work on his grades.

College career

Freshman season In 2012, he accepted a football scholarship from Norfolk State University. Joining the Spartans as a true freshman, he played in all 11 games that season as an outside linebacker and special teams.

In his debut game against in-state rival Virginia State, King put up a season high 5 tackles, with 3 of them being for loss and 2 sacks. Of those 2 sacks, one was on the final play of the game giving Norfolk State their first shutout since 2001.

In the season finale against conference member Morgan State, King earned 2 tackles and his career first interception, which he returned for 15 yards for a touchdown. His performance during the game earned him MEAC Rookie of the Week honors and topped off his freshman season with 19 tackles, with 12 of them being solo efforts.

Sophomore season In the 2013 season opener against Maine, King had five tackles, one of them a quarterback sack. The following week against Rutgers he earned 9.5 sacks against the scarlet knights. For the next 5 games, King would make at least 8 tackles.

King ended the season earning All-MEAC second-team honors and spots on both Norfolk’s Athletics Director’s Honor Roll and the MEAC Commissioner’s All-Academic Team. King’s performance during the game tied him at the top of the MEAC for the most tackles during the season.

In the season finale against South Carolina State, King would set a career-high 9 tackles, one of them a sack. King’s season would end with a total 106 tackles, with 46 of them being solo efforts and 60 assists.

King also received national recognition when he ranked in the top 50 in fumble recoveries, tackles for loss, total tackles, and sacks.

Senior season In the 2015 season, he was named to the preseason All-MEAC first-team and opened the season with 12 tackles and 1 pass breakup against Rutgers. In the following weeks, against FBS opponents Old Dominion and Marshall, King would have back to back 21 tackle games. His performance during that game would earn him his first MEAC Defensive Player of the Week award. STATS, AP FCS All-American; AFCA and SBN Sports Black College All-American. King was also awarded the Buck Buchanan Award as the top defensive player in FCS for 2015.

Professional career Dallas Cowboys King was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys after the 2016 NFL draft. On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Cowboys as part of final roster cuts and was signed to the practice squad the next day, then released three days later on September 6, 2016.

San Diego Chargers On October 4, 2016, King was signed to the San Diego Chargers' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on November 5, 2016. He was released on November 14, 2016.

Indianapolis Colts King was claimed off waivers by the Colts on November 15, 2016. He was waived by the Colts on May 1, 2017.

Cleveland Browns On June 12, 2017, King was signed by the Cleveland Browns. He was waived by the Browns on September 2, 2017 and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on October 3, 2017.

He was waived on November 8, 2017 and was re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted back to the active roster on November 15, 2017. He was waived on December 20, 2017.

Jacksonville Jaguars On December 23, 2017, King was signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on January 13, 2018.

On September 1, 2018, King was waived by the Jaguars.

Saskatchewan Roughriders (CFL) On October 23, 2018, he was signed as a free agent by the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. He spent 3 weeks on the practice roster before being promoted to the active roster on December 6. He was released on June 8, 2019.