Deer is a 1997 Beaufort High School graduate. After his freshman year at the University of South Carolina Beaufort, he enlisted in the Army as a combat engineer and served at Fort Campbell, Ky., and in South Korea. After receiving an Army scholarship, he attended Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn., and graduated in 2003 with a bachelor's degree in business administration with a minor in military history.
