Freshman Film Room: DL Markis Deal

Hello and welcome back to our freshman film room series here at Frogs O’ War, where we take a look at the highlight tape of our class of 2023 incoming recruits. Today we will be checking out defensive lineman Markis Deal. Markis was rated as a 4 star defensive lineman by Rivals and 247Sports, but ESPN and On3 both had him rated as a 4 star offensive lineman. In my opinion, Markis Deal is the best prospect in the program and I won’t be surprised if he’s starting in the fall.

Deal amassed 33 Power Five offers during his recruitment and chose the Horned Frogs over the likes of Georgia, Oklahoma, USC, and Texas. TCU’s football website lists Deal as a defensive lineman at 6-5, 310 pounds. Deal’s father, Michael, played offensive and defensive line at UTEP in the late 90s. His mom, Nicki, played volleyball and basketball at UTEP. And his brother, Devean, is currently a defensive lineman at Tulane. Athleticism runs in the family, and TCU fans should be really excited about this kid. Let’s get into the film…

Note - Markis did not have a senior highlight tape put together. Some of these are pulled from individual games, and some are from his junior highlight. But like the last post, all the clips are posted here as GIFs (I recommend that if viewing on a phone, rotate and the GIF will enlarge. If on desktop or laptop, hold down control and scroll up to zoom in).

First up, my favorite offensive highlight that I saw of Deal. Lined up at left tackle, the offense is running GT (Guard/Tackle) counter. This play is not run very often at the high school level because it’s very difficult for a tackle to pull and wrap for a linebacker. Not only is Deal’s pull here seemingly flawless, he absolutely smokes the Mike linebacker. Great show of Deal’s athleticism on this highlight.

Another offensive clip here. This time the offense is running G/Y counter, so Deal’s job is to block down on whoever shows in the B gap. Down blocks are supposed to be an offensive lineman’s favorite. It’s the time where a lineman gets to earhole a guy without a penalty getting called. Here, Deal turns the playside linebacker in to a human shield and uses him to block another linebacker. Two for one special.

One of the things I miss the most about coaching is watching the endzone view... It’s the best way to watch the action in the trenches. I promise this is the last offensive clip of Deal, it was just too good to not share. This play is GT counter to Deal, so his job is to block down in the B gap. Deal and the LG combo (and pancake) the 3 technique, and what does Deal do? Pat himself on the back? Nope. He goes and finds a safety and eats the kid for lunch.

Deal was recruited to TCU to play defensive line, but I wanted to show these offensive clips so you could get an idea of just how physical he is. We’ll move on to his defense tape now.

The first defensive highlight is definitely the most impressive. Deal is lined up as a DT and gets double teamed in pass pro, so he does what any good lineman does when they can’t get pressure - he gets his hands in the air. Deal tips the pass and then makes the interception while he’s falling backwards. Then he tacks on 10 yards with the return. He makes it look easy, but that catch was tough to make.

This may be my favorite defensive clip. Once again, Deal gets his hands up and tips a pass. The offense was trying to throw a slant behind Deal (stupid idea) and he gets in the way. My focus, however, is on what happens after the interception. Often times a lineman will tip a pass like this and then turn into a spectator, but not Markis Deal. Deal takes off to become the lead blocker and almost outruns his teammate! He wasn’t looking to celebrate or pound his chest, Deal took off and was headhunting! Unfortunately, his teammate doesn’t set up Markis as a blocker and runs out of bounds, but man can the big boy move!

In this clip Deal is lined up as a defensive tackle. To me he looks like a 2 (maybe a 2i) technique. Off the snap, Deal is stalemated by the guard, but then Deal responds by simply tossing the kid aside and is in to the B gap to make the play even as he’s falling down. The running back falls backwards about 3 yards, and I point this out to say that this highlights just how hard Markis Deal hits people.

I like this play a lot too. The offense is running power read to Deal, so he is the QBs read key. Technically, the quarterback makes the correct read here because Deal is upfield on the snap. But Deal does something here that I haven’t seen many defensive lineman do - he turns his chest directly at the mesh point. This allows him to react to whoever gets the ball. The QB decides to keep and is swallowed up by the big man, taking out 2 of the offensive linemen in the process.

On this clip Deal is playing as a 3 technique. The offense is running power read away from him, so good luck to the center blocking back on Deal. Deal drives the center back a couple yards before shedding the block and wrapping up the QB for no gain.

That brings us to the final play we’ll take a look at today. Deal is lined up at defensive tackle playing a 1 technique. The offense is straight pass here and Deal gets double teamed. Even though he’s double teamed he does a couple of important things. First, he drives back both blockers which helps collapse the pocket. As the quarterback goes to make a throw, Deal gets his hands up, causing the quarterback to check his throw and try to scramble. Deal uses his athleticism and strength to shed the double team and bring the quarterback down for a sack.

---

As I said previously, I believe Markis Deal is the best prospect on the roster. The kid is an absolute monster on both sides of the ball, and I firmly believe he would improve any defensive, or offensive, line in the country. He plays with an incredible motor, has athleticism that can’t be coached, and he’s only going to get better practicing against his teammates every day. I don’t think there will be any issues with his work ethic, so the sky is truly the limit with this kid. Remember this kid’s name as we head into fall.