Markis Deal

Markis Deal, who has a 3.3 grade-point average, is looking to major in political science or business. He comes from an athletic family. His father Michael Deal, who's the defensive line coach at Naaman Forest, played on the defensive and offensive line for UTEP from 1995 to 1998, while his mother Nicki played volleyball and basketball for the Miners. His older brother Devean Deal is a freshman defensive lineman at Tulane. Naaman Forest coach Jesse Perales knew early on that Deal was the real deal. “I've told Markis since day one, I've been fortunate to coach a couple of guys that made it to the NFL, and I told him as long as he keeps working hard and does things right and stays coachable, he'll have an opportunity to play on Sundays,” Perales told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “That's one of his goals and he's going to work hard to attain that.”