Devin Neal (born August 12, 2003)[1] is an American football running back at the University of Kansas.
Early life and high school
Neal grew up in Lawrence, Kansas and attended Lawrence High School.[2] As a senior, he rushed for 1,327 yards and 20 touchdowns and was named first team Class 6A All-State.[3] Neal was rated a four-star recruit and committed to play both football and baseball at the University of Kansas over football offers from Iowa, Kansas State, Nebraska and Oklahoma State.[4][5]
College career
Freshman year
Neal played in all 12 of Kansas's games during his freshman season and rushed for 707 yards and eight touchdowns on 158 carries.[6] He became the first freshman in school history to be named the Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week after rushing 24 times for 143 yards and three touchdowns and also catching two passes for 26 yards and one touchdown.[7] Neal finished his freshman year with 158 carries for 707 yards and 8 touchdowns rushing, along with 7 catches for 57 yards and 1 touchdown. He also played in seven games for Kansas's baseball team as a freshman.[8]
Sophomore year
Neal was named the Jayhawks' starting running back entering his sophomore season.[9][10] He was named the Doak Walker Award national running back of the week and the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after gaining 224 yards and scoring a touchdown on 32 carries and 110 yards on six receptions in a 37-16 over Oklahoma State.[11][12] Neal was the first player to have at least 200 rushing yards and 100 receiving yards in the same game and the win made the Jayhawks bowl-eligible for the first time since 2008.[13] Neal played in all 13 of the Jayhawks' games in 2022, rushing 180 times for 1,090 yards and 9 touchdowns while adding 21 catches for 183 yards and 1 touchdown.
Junior year
Neal played every game for the Jayhawks during his junior season. In a game against Nevada, Neal rushed for 89 yards and scored three touchdowns and also had a career-high 59-yard reception. Against Central Florida, Neal ran the ball 12 times for 154 yards, averaging 12.8 yards per carry with one touchdown. In the game against Oklahoma, Neal had 25 rushes for a total of 112 yards and a touchdown. Against Texas, he rushed for 137 yards on 19 carries and scored three touchdowns. He rushed 18 times against Kansas State for 138 yards and tied his career-high with three touchdowns. Neal had 10 carries against Cincinnati for 108 yards, averaging 10.8 yards per carry and scored two touchdowns in a road victory. In total, Neal rushed 203 times for 1,280 yards and 16 touchdowns, as well as 1 receiving touchdown.[14]
Statistics
| Season | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | |||||
| Kansas Jayhawks | ||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 11 | 8 | 158 | 707 | 4.5 | 8 | 7 | 57 | 8.1 | 1 | ||||
| 2022 | 13 | 12 | 180 | 1,090 | 6.1 | 9 | 21 | 183 | 8.7 | 1 | ||||
| 2023 | 12 | 11 | 183 | 1,209 | 6.6 | 15 | 24 | 214 | 8.9 | 1 | ||||
| Career[15] | 36 | 31 | 521 | 3,006 | 5.8 | 32 | 52 | 454 | 8.7 | 3 | ||||
References
- ^ "Devin Neal bio". KUAthletics.com.
- ^ Guskey, Jordan (November 6, 2022). "Devin Neal, the hometown kid, finds himself at the center of Kansas football's renaissance". Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ "Kansas freshman running back Devin Neal impresses coaches, teammates". The Salina Journal. August 18, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ Wiltfong, Steve (March 20, 2020). "Les Miles and Kansas score big recruiting win in RB Devin Neal". 247Sports.com. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ "Kansas football's Devin Neal's journey to prominence in his hometown". Topeka Capital-Journal. September 21, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ "Devin Neal has more in store in Year 2 with Kansas football". Topeka Capital-Journal. July 19, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ Kinley, Glenn (November 15, 2021). "KU football's Devin Neal named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after big win at Texas". FOX4KC.com. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
- ^ "Kansas athlete Devin Neal plans to balance football and baseball". The Topeka Capital-Journal. February 17, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ "Big 12 notebook: Devin Neal to lead Kansas rushing attack". Austin American-Statesman. July 13, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ "Coming off stellar year, Devin Neal breaks down KU Jayhawks' 5-man running backs corps". The Kansas City Star. August 7, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ Lovergine, Vince (November 8, 2022). "Kansas RB Neal earns another award". WIBW.com. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
- ^ Mitts, Andy (November 7, 2022). "Devin Neal wins Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week". SI.com. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
- ^ "KU running back Devin Neal does it all in Jayhawks' 37-16 victory over Oklahoma State". The Kansas City Star. November 5, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
- ^ "Devin Neal Bio". Kansas Athletics, Inc. December 26, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ "Devin Neal College Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 2, 2023.