One Of South Florida's Top High School Quarterbacks Transferring To 6A Champion West Boca Raton

Omari McNeal announced via Instagram he is leaving Blanche Ely; The 2026 QB led the Tigers to a win over nationally-ranked Chaminade-Madonna
Blanche Ely quarterback Omari McNeal scored the game winning touchdown in overtime as  Blanche Ely stunned nationally ranked Chaminade-Madonna, 35-34.
Blanche Ely quarterback Omari McNeal scored the game winning touchdown in overtime as Blanche Ely stunned nationally ranked Chaminade-Madonna, 35-34. / Omari McNeal Hudl

Remember when Blanche Ely (Florida) pulled off arguably one of the biggest upsets in high school football of the 2024 season when the Tigers upended national power Chaminade-Madonna?

The quarterback at the helm that night, Omari McNeal, proved himself that night as one of South Florida's top quarterbacks. Now, he will be changing up schools for the 2025 season.

McNeal posted on Instagram on Tuesday evening that he will be transferring to West Boca Raton from Blanche Ely. The 2026 quarterback was named Sun Sentinel first team all-county offense after compiling nearly 3,000 yards of offense in 2024.

Below is the message he posted out on Instagram regarding his transfer to West Boca Raton:

"THANK YOU!! BEFORE ANYTHING I WANT TO GIVE THANKS TO THE MAN ABOVE FOR GIVING ME THE ABILITY AND OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO PLAY THE GAME THAT I LOVE. WITHOUT HIM NONE OF THIS WOULD EVEN BE POSSIBLE. I WANT TO SAY THANH YOU TO THE ENTIRE BLANCHE ELY COACHING STAFF. SPECIAL THANKS TO COACH T BLACK WHO HAS SUPPORTED ME AND PLAYED BIG PART IN MY GROWTH, I APPRECIATE YOU MORE THAN YOU KNOW. COACH DEE WHO GUIDED & HELPED ME TO STAY FOCUSED ON AND OFF THE FIELD. COACH STOKES WHO HELPED GUIDE ME INTO BECOMING A BETTER QB. COACH DJ THANH YOU FOR YOUR GUIDANCE TO HELP ME ON GETTING TO THE NEXT LEVEL. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO EXPRESS MY SINCERE GRATITUDE AND APPRECIATION TO MY TEAMMATES FOR PUSHING ME EVERYDAY TO MAXIMIZE MY POTENTIAL WHILE CREATING LIFELONG MEMORIES AND A BROTHERHOOD FOREVER. PRINCIPAL WILLIAMS, MS. FETRIDGE. MS. LOVE TIGER PRIDE THANK YOU! WITH THAT BEING SAID I HAVE DECIDED TO TRANSFER AND COMPLETE MY SENIOR YEAR AT WEST BOCA RATON HIGH SCHOOL."

Blanche Ely finished 8-4 last season and reached the Class 5A playoffs, falling to eventual state champion St. Thomas Aquinas in the region semifinals, 53-32. McNeal is best remembered for his play in Ely's thrilling 35-34 overtime win over Chaminade-Madonna.

In the upset victory, McNeal accounted for 462 all-purpose yards and five total touchdowns. The junior finished the season throwing for 2,511 yards, 22 touchdowns to just two interceptions. McNeal also rushed for 358 yards and nine scores on the ground.

McNeal transfers to West Boca Raton just about a week after Mason Mallory announced his transfer intentions from the Bulls to St. Thomas Aquinas. West Boca Raton looks to be the favorite once again in Class 6A when the 2025 season rolls around.

The situation becomes an interesting one as West Boca Raton is slated to return quarterback Trey Moran, who split time under center with Mallory, to the offense. Moran threw for 1,214 yards and 18 touchdowns last season.

For West Boca Raton head coach Dylan Potts, two experienced signal callers provides the team the potential to run a 2-quarterback system once again in 2025.


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• Bill Belichick Looking To Land IMG National's Billy Miller On UNC Coaching Staff: Report


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Andy Villamarzo
ANDY VILLAMARZO

Andy Villamarzo has been a sports writer in the Tampa Bay (FL) Area since 2007, writing for publications such as Tampa Bay Times, The Tampa Tribune, The Suncoast News, Tampa Beacon, Hernando Sun to name a few. Andy resides out of the Tarpon Springs, FL area and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in the summer of 2022 covering the Tampa Bay Area. He has quickly become one of Florida's foremost authorities on high school sports, appearing frequently on podcasts, radio programs and digital broadcasts as an expert on team rankings, recruiting and much more.