Draft:Deontay Anderson

Deontay Anderson (born November 11, 1997) is an American football strong safety for the DC Defenders of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football for the Ole Miss Rebels and the Houston Cougars.

Early life and high school
Anderson grew up in Manvel, Texas and attended Manvel High School.

Ole Miss
After being ranked as the No. 1 safety in the class of 2016, Anderson announced his commitment to Ole Miss in a skydiving video. During his true freshman season in 2016, Anderson played in 11 games, recording a total of 32 tackles and an interception.

Anderson did not play in 2017 and redshirted.

Houston
Anderson transferred to Houston in 2018 where played in 13 games, recording 72 tackles, one interception, six pass deflections, four tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.

In 2019, Anderson played in 11 games recording 48 tackles and a forced fumble, nine pass deflections, and 1.5 tackles for loss.

In 2020, Anderson played in six games, recording 26 tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, and three pass deflections.

In 2021, Anderson switched from safety to linebacker. He played in 11 games, recording 55 tackles, four tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, two pass deflections, and a forced fumble.

Professional career
After going undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft, Anderson was selected by the Vegas Vipers of the XFL on November 15, 2023. Anderson finished the season playing in 10 games recording 52 tackles, nine pass deflections and an interception. Anderson was also selected to the All-XFL team.

Personal life
Anderson is the son of Michael and Hava Anderson. His father played for the Houston Gamblers of the United States Football League, while his uncle Greg "Cadillac" Anderson played 11 seasons in the NBA.