Week Twelve Jayhawk Spotlight: Devin Neal
If American sports were anything like English soccer, Devin Neal would be an even bigger star in Lawrence than he already is. Let me explain. Passionate fans have a special place for players that grew up in the town where the team plays, coming to games as a young boy, and playing in the academy. This is basically what Neal has done in Lawrence. He would have a chant in his honor, being a local product that all of the fans are proud of, a special place in their hearts reserved for the hometown kid who chose to stay.
“He’s one of our own, he’e one of our own, Devin Neal, he’s one of our own!”
The feeling is real. He is like us because he chose to do what many of us chose to do, go to college that we grew up cheering for. Neal takes it a step further by being one of the best players to ever come through the University of Kansas.
Every week at this time, we highlight a Jayhawk who performed admirably in the last game but this week we’re going to do something that we haven’t done yet: highlight a repeat performer. We first highlighted Lawrence native Devin Neal after his great performance in week six against the UCF Knights. Since then, Neal has done damage to the Kansas record books. Let’s examine his rise more closely.
Coming to Kansas from Lawrence High School isn’t a long trek at all, and coming into the season, Neal had already proven to be a recruiting coup for the Jayhawls. After two years in a Jayhawk uniform, Devin Neal had 1,797 rushing yards for an average of 5.3 yards per carry. Pretty good, and we knew we had a good one on our hands, but very few of us knew exactly what Neal would blossom into. What that has become is one of the best running backs in the league, in the country if we’re being honest, and a legitimate NFL prospect.
But 2023 has been a revelation. Through eleven games this season, Neal already has 1,103 yards on the ground and has surpassed some Jayhawk greats on the all-time lists. Against Texas Tech, Neal passed Gale Sayers and John Riggins, both Pro Football Hall of Famers, to catapult into sixth place on the all-time rushing charts. With his 138 yards against K-State this past weekend, Neal hopped past Clark Green and into fifth on the all-time list with 2,900 yards as a Jayhawk. The man in fourth place is Laverne Smith, and his 3,074 yards are certainly within Neal’s grasp this season with Cincinnati and a bowl game on the horizon. It seems likely that Neal could average 88 yards per game over those two games and take over sole possession of fourth place.
Another marker to look out for is single season rushing yards. Neal only needs 79 yards over the remainder of the season to leapfrog several players and secure the fourth best individual rushing season in KU history. He is currently outside the top ten, but with so many players clumped between Neal and Smith in fourth, it’s more than likely that Devin Neal’s 2023 will rank as one of the best in the long history of Kansas football.
Devin Neal is also rampaging the touchdown categories at Kansas. Neal has 30 career rushing TDs, now in sole possession of third place on the KU charts, surpassing the great Tony Sands (in only three years!) after his three TD performance against K-State. With one more game in the regular season and a bowl game, Neal could realistically tie or pass James Sims for second place all-time at KU. Sims had 34 rushing TDs in four years as a Jayhawk.
And his season TD stats are even more prolific. With 13 rushing touchdowns on the season, Neal is tied for the fourth best season ever in that category. With one more, he will sit in a tie for third, three will tie him for second at 16 with Brandon McAnderson while getting four will level him with June Henley at 17, accomplished in 1996. Neal could realistically have the best rushing season in Kansas history from a touchdown perspective if he has replicates his performances over the last two games.
And only Neal knows (and maybe not even he knows) what his plans for next season are. If Neal returns to the Jayhawks, every record for a runner is well within his reach. If a potential 2024 looked exactly like Neal’s 2023, he would be the all-time KU rushing leader in career yards, touchdowns, as well as potentially setting single season records in yards and touchdowns.
All of that is in the future and may not even happen so if you’re like me, you’ll savor these final two games. It’s been a joy to watch a Lawrence native tear it up for his hometown Jayhawks.
“Devin Neal, he’s one of our own!”
