Four-star wide receiver DeAndre McNeal commits to the Texas Longhorns
The Longhorns had a huge recruiting day on Friday.
On Friday morning in a ceremony at Mesquite (Texas) Poteet, four-star wide receiver DeAndre McNeal preceded the announcement of his teammate, five star linebacker Malik Jefferson, and surprised the recruiting community by committing to the Texas Longhorns.
BREAKING: DeAndre McNeal commits to Texas #HookEm #LetsRide https://t.co/qDYGx3Qsvj
— Orangebloods.com (@OBWire) December 19, 2014 Jefferson followed minutes later by also committing to head coach Charlie Strong and his program.
Though he had done so less publicly, the 6’2, 230-pound McNeal had seemingly narrowed his choices in recent days to Texas, Texas A&M, and UCLA.
In addition to the offers from McNeal’s three finalists, he also considered Alabama, Ohio State, and Texas Tech.
A consensus four-star prospect who saw his stock take off a little bit later than that of his highly-touted teammate, McNeal proved that he’s a remarkable talent in his own right. Now rated as the No. 290 player nationally, he’s the No. 24 athlete and the No. 42 player in the state of Texas, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
A versatile athlete, McNeal could play a number of positions at the next level, including wide receiver, tight end, or linebacker. However, most schools recruited him as a wide receiver as McNeal helped those projections by turning in a productive season with 836 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns on 35 receptions, adding another 380 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.
Mostly an inside receiver in high school, McNeal has remarkable lateral ability to make opponents miss in short spaces. Not many prospects his size are capable of that feat and it makes his upside significant. His first step is impressive and he has the look of a smooth, fluid athlete in the open field, covering ground effortlessly.
