Cal Trio On NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Big Board

BERKELEY – A trio of Cal players – Kuony Deng, Elijah Hicks and Cameron Goode – are listed on the 2022 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Big Board released Friday. A selection to the board indicates that a player is being scouted by the annual college football all-star game that is scheduled to take place at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 22, 2022.

Below are notes on Deng, Goode and Hicks with extended bios available by clicking on each of their names.
 
Kuony Deng, OLB, 6-4, 245, RSr., 6th Collegiate Season/3rd Season At Cal, Aldie, VA (Independence Community College/Virginia Military Institute/John Champe HS)
2021 Honors – All-California Region Second-Team Preseason (SportsPac12); All-Pac-12 Third-Team Preseason (Athlon, Lindy's), Fourth-Team Preseason (Phil Steele), Honorable Mention Preseason (Pac-12 Media); Key Golden Bears (Athlon); Lott IMPACT Trophy Preseason Watch List; Pac-12 Media Day Representative; NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Big Board; Players To Watch (Athlon); Rotary Lombardi Award Preseason Watch List; The Butkus® Award Preseason Watch List
– Has played in and started all 17 games possible at Cal since the beginning of the 2019 season and posted career totals of 150 tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss (-37 yards), 3.5 sacks (-14 yards), eight pass breakups, eight passes defended, six quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery
– Recorded career highs of 119 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss (-27 yards), 3.0 sacks (-12 yards), eight pass breakups, eight passes defended, five quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery while playing in and starting a career-high all 13 games as a 2019 junior
– Started all four games as a 2020 senior and led the team with 31 tackles and his lone two career forced fumbles both in the fourth quarter of a 21-17 win over Oregon to earn Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors, while adding 2.5 tackles for loss (-10 yards) and one quarterback hurry
– Ranked third in the Pac-12 and tied for fourth nationally with his 0.50 forced fumbles per game as a 2020 senior
 
Cameron Goode, OLB, 6-4, 245, RSr., 6th Season At Cal, Spring, TX (Klein Collins HS)
2021 Honors – All-California Region First-Team Preseason (SportsPac12); All-Pac-12 Second-Team Preseason (Athlon, Lindy's, Phil Steele), Honorable Mention Preseason (Pac-12 Media); Bednarik Award Preseason Watch List; Key Golden Bears (Athlon); NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Big Board; Players To Watch (Athlon); Rotary Lombardi Award Preseason Watch List; The Butkus® Award Preseason Watch List
– Has played in and started 26 games all at outside linebacker over the past four seasons after redshirting as a 2016 true freshman and posted career totals of 125 tackles, 27.5 tackles for loss (-120 yards), 14.0 sacks (-83 yards), two interceptions that he has returned for 70 yards and a pair of touchdowns, six pass breakups, eight passes defended, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and eight quarterback hurries
– Earned second-team (Pac-12 Coaches, Phil Steele, Jon Wilner) and third-team (SportsPac-12) All-Pac-12 honors when he started all four games as a 2020 senior and contributed 19 tackles, team highs of 8.0 tackles for loss (-23 yards) and 3.0 sacks (-12 yards), one fumble recovery, two quarterback hurries, one pass breakup and one pass defended
– Ranked tied for second in the NCAA and the Pac-12 as a 2020 senior with 2.00 tackles for loss per game, as well as sixth in the Pac-12 with 0.75 sacks per game and tied for seventh in the conference with 0.25 fumble recoveries per contest
– Had career highs of 57 tackles, 14.0 tackles for loss (-76 yards), 9.5 sacks (-62 yards) and six quarterback hurries, as well as a career-high-tying one forced fumble as a 2019 junior when he was an honorable mention All-Pac-12 selection of the league's coaches
 
Elijah Hicks, S, 5-11, 200, Sr., 5th Season At Cal, Long Beach, CA (La Mirada HS/St. John Bosco HS)
2021 Honors – All-Pac-12 Third Team Preseason (Athlon), Honorable Mention Preseason (Pac-12 Media); NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Big Board; Players To Watch (Athlon)
– Has played in all 42 games possible with 34 starts over the last four seasons since his arrival in January of 2017 and posted career totals of 141 tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss (-25 yards), 2.0 sacks (-7 yards), two interceptions that he has returned for a combined 64 yards and one touchdown, 12 pass breakups, 14 passes defended and two forced fumbles
– Contributed career highs of 44 tackles, 2.0 sacks (-7 yards), five pass breakups and five passes defended while making a career-high 12 starts and playing in a career-high-tying all 13 contests as a 2019 junior