Per GeauxTiger nation.......sounds like he's a real good one To say Lewis Neal (Wilson, N.C./James B. Hunt) is dominating his opposition this fall probably isn't doing it justice. That might sound like hyperbole, but you might reconsider after asking him how things are going at the halfway point of his senior campaign -- a mere five games into the season. "I've got 50 tackles and 11 sacks, and I've only been playing two quarters each game because we've been blowing everyone out," Neal said. "If I played four quarters it would be a whole different story." Neal sounded disappointed when he mentioned his limited playing time, but it's probably for the best. At a rate of 10 tackles and two sacks per two quarters, his substitution at halftime is probably the only thing that allows opposing quarterbacks to sleep during game week. That's just the type of news LSU wants to hear from one of its three current defensive end commits as the Tigers are poised to lose as many as four ends when the 2012 season finishes. And don't think for a minute that production has gone unnoticed by the coaching staff in Baton Rouge. Neal, whose Warriors enjoyed a bye week this past weekend, said he got a call from LSU coach Les Miles last week to congratulate him on the impressive start. "He was just like, 'Save some tackles for when you come up here,'" Neal said. Miles also talked to Neal about the plan for the next few months and his desire to come visit his 6-foot-1, 230-pound pass rusher. "He said he wants to come on down here when he's allowed to come and meet everybody," Neal said. "He wants to come to school and meet my teachers, all my friends and my family -- everything." That's just one way the LSU staff is keeping tabs on Neal, who joined the class all the way back on the Fourth of July. Plenty of other schools, such as Ohio State, Clemson, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt, have been interested enough to offer Neal a scholarship. But it certainly seems the Tigers' staff is doing its part to share the love, as defensive coordinator John Chavis and defensive line coach Brick Haley are also regular contacts. "I talk to Coach Chavis and Coach Haley every week, and then Coach Miles once every two or three weeks or whenever he's free. Because he's really busy right now," Neal said. "But whenever I call him I know I'm going to get a call. If I call him and I miss him, he always gets me back." The Tigers will have a chance to see Neal much closer in about a month. Not surprisingly, the four-star prospect plans to take his official visit to Baton Rouge during the weekend of Nov. 3 for the titanic clash with No. 1 Alabama. He should be one of about four dozen blue-chippers in attendance. In the meantime, Neal hopes to keep racking up sacks, and the Tigers will surely keep close tabs. There is no shortage of programs with an eye on his big season, but Neal said LSU has no reason to worry about his commitment. "Other schools still want me regardless. I already know that, because when they see me they're like, 'We wish we could get you,' " he said. "But they know how solid I am, and what kind of person I am. They know I'm good -- I've already got a plan."
http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1462085&PT=4&PR=2 January 20, 2013 The Rivals.com analysts tackle some questions about the final rankings process in a roundtable format. Coming out of the final rankings meetings, which player from your region do you still feel deserved a bigger bump? ... Woody Wommack, Southeast: The guy I really like after we saw him perform well at two different all-star events is Lewis Neal . The only thing that kept him from making a big move up the rankings is concern about where exactly he'll play at the next level. I think he has the talent to play defensive end or perhaps a hybrid linebacker position; but in the end, he didn't quite get the bump that I fought for because he doesn't have a true position.
NationalUnderclassmen.com named him a Top Performer of the Shrine Bowl: ... Below are the top performers as seen by NUC National Analyst Barry Every. ... Lewis Neal, DE, 6-1/235, Wilson Hunt ... Assets: Neal is a versatile athlete that could either project as an outside linebacker or a pass rushing specialist in the 4-3 defense. He is quick off the edge and when blocked he knows how to get his arms up in the passing lanes. His overall body structure is ideal for adding more muscle mass. The LSU Tigers have a knack for finding speedy edge rushers.
His arms look huge in his pictures. Here's a similar post made on another LSU forum: Just for comparison, some Rival stats: Neal bench 350 squat 500 vertical 32" Vanderdoes bench 305 squat 500 Golden (A&M) bench 295 squat 505 Pretty much says it all...his legs are probably like a lot of players being recruited but he blows away these guys in the bench (arms) by around 50 pounds. Explains why he looks so strong on his videos throwing guys around. ... He basically bench presses 50 lbs more than his peer DL and OL prospects nice to see a high bench from long-armed guys. Very strong.
10 months ago, Keith Niebuhr, the Southeast Football Recruiting Analyst at Rivals.com, did an interview with an Ohio State sports publication, The O-Zone, where he said this about Neal: "he is a high-character kid... a very coachable kid" Niebuhr got a chance to see Neal in person at the Rivals.com/VTO Sports Elite 100 camp at Mallard Creek High School down in Charlotte. Neal was working with the defensive linemen at the camp in Charlotte, and that is really the only position he has played on that side of the ball in high school. "He’s quick and explosive off the line. He gets into the body of an offensive lineman so quick that it leaves very little time to react.” "He’s a very good athlete. ... He has tremendous quickness at the snap, which is something that can’t be measured,” he said. “There is no combine drill for that. When the ball is snapped, he is on the other side of the line before the guy across from him has even moved.”
Here's what this guy and Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Analyst Adam Friedman had to say about Neal at the Shrine Bowl: Adam Friedman Recruiting Analyst SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Last week, Rivals.com analysts Adam Friedman and Woody Wommack were in Spartanburg, S.C., for the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas, which included multiple practices leading up to Saturday's game. Here are their awards: TOUGHEST TO BLOCK Lewis Neal, DE, Wilson (N.C.) Hunt: Simply put, Neal is a beast. He was easily the toughest assignment for any offensive lineman, especially in the game. His size, strength and quickness at the snap made him almost unstoppable, and he was disruptive the majority of the time.
LSU Football @LSUfball 45m Welcome the newest Tiger: Lewis Neal! #LSURoar Shea Dixon @Sheadixon North Carolina DE Lewis Neal becomes the first player to send his fax into #LSU .
Welcome aboard, Mr. Neal! Heard a lot of good things about you. We love our defense! I'm sure Chief will do you good.
