Kolby Deringer

Kolby Deringer

No. 50 – San Jose Sabercats
Position:	Linebacker
Personal information
Born:	(1999-03-17)March 17, 1999 (aged 62) Slidell, LA
Height:	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:	250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school:	Marshall High (TX)
College:	University of Texas
ISFL Draft:	2024  / Round: 1 / Pick: 4
Career history
Kansas City Coyotes (2023 (S8)-2024 (S9)) San Jose Sabercats (2025 (S10)–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career NSFL statistics as of Week 14, 15
Tackles: 548 Tackles for Loss: 9 Sacks: 56 Pass Deflections: 85 Interceptions: 4 Forced Fumbles: 5 Fumble Recoveries: 3 Safeties: 2

Kolby Deringer (born March 17, 1999) is an American football linebacker for the San Jose Sabercats of the National Simulation Football League (NSFL). He played college football for the University of Texas before entering the professional ranks in 2023 (S8), going 10th in the 2023 DSFL Draft (S8) to the Kansas City Coyotes.

Early years

Deringer was born in Slidell, Louisiana, along Lake Pontchartrain and near the border to Mississippi. He attended high school at Marshall High in Marshall, Texas, where he and his family moved to after their displacement from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Their family settled in with his grandparents and connected with the Catholic church in the city as well, maintaining continuity with their faith roots from the community they left behind in Louisiana.

College career

Deringer completed four years at the University of Texas, earning a bachelor's in business finance. He suffered a major injury his freshman year, though recovered to remain on the squad. He led the team in tackles and sacks his junior and senior seasons, earning all-Big 12 freshman honors and all-Big 12 honors his remaining years (second-team sophomore season, first-team junior and senior seasons). Additionally, his senior season, he led a fierce Longhorns unit which allowed an average of 12.5 points per game and helped carry Texas to a Big 12 championship. Though they were not selected to that season's College Football Playoff due to a surprising loss to Oklahoma State, they were chosen for the Cotton Bowl against Michigan, which they won and where Deringer was named MVP after returning two turnovers for touchdowns.

College career statistics

Career statistics			Tackles			Sacks	Interceptions		Other
Season	Team	Games	Reg	TFL	Total	Sack	Int	IntTD	DefTD	FFum	FRec	PD	Safety
2019	TEX	6	33	0	33	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0
2020	TEX	13	66	3	69	7	2	0	0	0	0	6	0
2021	TEX	14	80	6	86	9	2	0	0	0	0	5	0
2022	TEX	14	96	3	99	15	3	1	1	2	1	9	0

Professional career

DSFL Career

Deringer played two seasons for the Kansas City Coyotes. He was drafted 10th overall in the 2023 DSFL Draft (S8), the first of four linebackers in the class who all went in consecutive order. Though issues kept him off the field during his first three games, save for special teams, he shone in his first full game, racking up 6 tackles, forcing a fumble and recovering the same fumble against the Norfolk Seawolves. He picked up the first of five Defensive Player of the Game honors during the regular season in a Week 9 win over the Tijuana Luchadores with 7 tackles, 2 sacks, and a forced fumble. He tied for second in sacks with 12 and led the league in forced fumbles with 3.

Deringer opted to return for a second year to the DSFL as part of his class's decision to return for another chance to win the Ultimini after they lost Ultimini VI to Tijuana 21-20 on a last-second field goal. His second development season saw him increase his presence with 122 total tackles, 2 for loss, making him second in the DSFL. Despite a solid 9-5 campaign where the Coyotes once again took the NFC regular-season title, they fell short in the NFC Championship against the Portland Pythons 26-20. Deringer was called upon to promote to the NSFL in the following offseason, where he began his top-flight career with the San Jose SaberCats.

Career statistics			Tackles			Sacks	Interceptions		Other
Season	Team	Games	Reg	TFL	Total	Sack	Int	IntTD	DefTD	FFum	FRec	PD	Safety	DPotG
2023	KCC	14	76	0	76	12	2	0	0	3	1	6	0	5
2024	KCC	14	120	2	122	0	1	0	0	2	1	4	0	0
Total	KCC	28	196	2	198	12	3	0	0	5	2	10	0	5

NSFL Career

Pre-draft measurables

Ht	Wt	Arm length	Hand size	40‑yd dash	20‑ss	3‑cone	Vert jump	Broad	BP	Wonderlic
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	250 lb (113 kg)	34+5⁄8 in (0.88 m)	9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m)	4.47 s	4.40 s	7.10 s	28.8 in (0.73 m)	10 ft 3.9 in (3.15 m)	12 reps	36
NSFL 2024 Scouting Combine

Deringer played his first NSFL season for the San Jose SaberCats in 2025 (S10), featuring in his pro debut as Defensive Player of the Game in a 24-15 loss hosting the Orange County Otters. He registered 7 tackles, including 2 sacks, recovered a fumble and, on the first play from scrimmage, sacked fellow rookie and former Coyotes teammate Gus Showbiz for a safety. Though an immediate presence, the SaberCats struggled on defense and missed playoffs at 4-10. Deringer was named Defensive Rookie of the Year and was the first runner-up for Breakout Player of the Year.

His sophomore campaign saw similar figures, with an uptick in general tackles for loss (7, up from 1) and pestering QBs with more pass deflections (14, up from 3), which included recording his first NSFL interception. He also became a danger to ballcarriers, causing 3 fumbles and recovering 2. Alas, despite helping keep San Jose close in several of their games throughout the season, the SaberCats missed out on playoffs again, regressing to 1-13.

Season 12 was among the most promising, with Deringer being joined by new teammates Chad and Thad Pennington on defense and the offense budding into its own. He would quietly conclude the regular-season campaign nearing career highs for tackles and sacks as others helped the SaberCats defense become an elite unit. This physical playstyle led San Jose to a 7-0 start, defeating every team in the League on the first playthrough. Unfortunately, the streak ended at 8 wins and the SaberCats would go cold into playoffs, losing 4 of their last 6. They remained on ice going to Orange County to visit the Otters for the ASFC Championship and were hosed 35-10 in the franchise's second-ever playoff game and their first since Season 6. Deringer would contribute a few tackles and a forced fumble which was recovered by the ball carrier.

The San Jose SaberCats were at their most complete look to date in Season 13. Deringer contributed plenty to that on defense once again, disrupting the backfield on 7 sacks in the regular season and patrolling short and midrange passes with 29 deflections. The defense returned many, and with the offense picking up steam, the club set a franchise-best mark at 12-2 and, for the first time in franchise history, earned home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. That would not do them much good as they once again faced the Orange County Otters for the ASFC and once again went down in defeat. Deringer did return to high-level form. Though LB of the Year was never in doubt for the winner, Deringer earned his second career Pro Bowl selection.

Deringer had his most complete, well-rounded season at linebacker to date in Season 14. Playing more balanced than even the season before, he registered 75 tackles, 22 pass deflections (first among LBs, tied for second among all defenders), 12 sacks (second among LBs, third among all defenders). Though not as much of a volume tackler as most other linebackers, he made many disruptive plays when his moment came. He was key for a team which only yielded 233 points, fewest in the NSFL, and in making the playoffs for the third straight season with a 9-5 record. In the ASFC Championship Game at the Orange County Otters, he registered a handful of tackles, a sack, and made a mess of things for OCO with a punt block that set up a short field and an eventual field goal. The Cats held out, and for the first time in franchise history, they were going to the Ultimus. There, they would host the Philadelphia Liberty, the surprise NSFC Champions. Though quieter in the title game, the unit held firm in the most crucial moments and did not panic, icing the game with two defensive stands as the offense secured the lead. For the first time in franchise history, the San Jose SaberCats were Ultimus champions. The only final sour notes were Deringer's snubs, losing out on Linebacker of the Year and not receiving a selection to the Pro Bowl.

Deringer continued trending up on defense in Season 15. Along with greater output in tackles for the season, jumping to 86 from 75, he contributed 12 total stops behind the line of scrimmage - 9 sacks on the QB (tied for first in the league) and 3 other tackles for loss. While his passing presence was less concrete, deflecting 12 passes in the regular season, he recorded his first interception since Season 13. Deringer was a pillar for a defense that once again allowed the fewest points in the NSFL (265), buoying the Sabercats to an 11-3 season and home-field advantage for the ASFC Championship. Against the Otters with a second consecutive Ultimus trip on the line, Deringer was a decent presence en route to a 37-17 win over their in-state rivals. In the Ultimus, Deringer shined in a game the Sabercats would otherwise prefer to forget, recording 9 tackles, including 3 sacks, and being named top defensive player in the championship. His and others' efforts were not enough to hold back the Baltimore offensive surge, and the Sabercats lost the Season 15 Ultimus 49-0.

Regular season statistics			Tackles			Sacks	Interceptions		Other
Season	Team	Games	Reg	TFL	Total	Sack	Int	IntTD	DefTD	FFum	FRec	PD	Safety	DPotG
2025	Sabercats	14	95	1	96	9	0	0	0	0	1	3	2	3
2026	Sabercats	14	89	7	96	4	1	0	0	3	2	14	0	0
2027	Sabercats	14	93	0	93	8	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
2028	Sabercats	14	78	1	79	7	2	0	0	0	0	29	0	1
2029	Sabercats	14	75	0	75	12	0	0	0	0	0	22	0	3
2030	Sabercats	14	86	3	89	9	1	0	0	0	0	12	0	2
2031	Sabercats	13	88	1	89	9	0	0	0	1	1	16	0	3
2032	Sabercats	13	119	0	119	0	1	0	0	0	0	6	0	0
2033	Sabercats	13	120	2	122	5	2	1	0	1	0	4	0	6
2034	Sabercats	13	96	0	96	2	1	0	0	0	2	6	0	1
Total	Sabercats	136	939	15	954	65	8	1	0	5	6	112	2	19

Postseason statistics			Tackles			Sacks	Interceptions		Other
Season	Team	Games	Reg	TFL	Total	Sack	Int	IntTD	DefTD	FFum	FRec	PD	Safety	Punt Blk	DPotG
2027	Sabercats	1	6	0	6	2	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	1
2028	Sabercats	1	5	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
2029	Sabercats	2	5	0	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
2030	Sabercats	2	13	0	13	4	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
2031	Sabercats	1	5	0	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
2032	Sabercats	1	11	0	11	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	Sabercats	8	45	0	45	9	0	0	0	1	0	6	0	1	2

Awards and Honors

• Ultimus Champion: Season 14
• Ultimus Defensive Player of the Game: Season 15
• 2x ASFC Champion: Seasons 14 and 15
• 4x Pro Bowler: Seasons 10, 13, 16, and 18
• Defensive Rookie of the Year: Season 10