Devin Neal looks back as record-setting Kansas career enters final stretch

Growing up in Lawrence, Kansas, Devin Neal saw some rough football seasons from his hometown team. Kansas had just three winning seasons between 2003 and 2020, the season before he graduated high school.

But when KU called and expressed interest in him as a four-star recruit, Neal thought about what it’d be like to play a role in restoring the program. Even after a coaching change brought Lance Leipold to town, he put pen to paper and signed his National Letter of Intent.

Now, Neal is Kansas’ all-time leader in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and 100-yard games. Off the field, he’s also a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Man of the Year as one of the nation’s top leaders, which means “everything” to him. He knows how special those achievements are – but it’s even sweeter to reach the milestones while suiting up for his hometown team, with plenty familiar faces in the stands.

“It took a while for me to get to the point where it was like, I’m ready to commit to this university, commit to the challenge ahead,” Neal told On3 in a Zoom interview. “I definitely don’t regret that. I’m super blessed to even be in this position. Obviously, the current staff didn’t recruit me out of high school. So that was kind of unique in that I just felt like having those meetings with, at the time with Coach [Andy Kotelnicki] and … Coach Leipold, who [is] still here, and Coach [Jonathan] Wallace, who’s still here, as well. Having those conversations, I knew I could trust them and I knew they were going to get this thing turned around.

“Obviously, they did just that. I owe a lot to them and I have just such great relationships with them. Forever relationships, for sure.”

In last week’s win over Iowa State, Neal passed June Henley’s mark for the most rushing yards in program history. He enters Week 12 with 3,951 career yards, including 116 in that victory over the Cyclones. He also had two rushing touchdowns in that effort, giving him 43 on his career to sit atop the record books in that category, as well.

It’s been quite the ride over the last four years. Neal went from watching running backs such as James Sims, Pooka Williams and Khalil Herbert to becoming Kansas’ all-time leading rusher. He’s still getting congratulations – and he plans to answer each one of them. That’s why he’s grateful to stay close to home while putting together a record-setting career.

“I set out on a mission to change this program, along with many others, to get into a place of being competitive first. And then, obviously, getting to that point where it’s a powerhouse program,” Neal said. “Just to be able to do it in front of my family, my friends and have so many others that have supported me from early childhood, it means a lot to me.”

Devin Neal was crucial as Kansas built from the ground up

When Devin Neal was coming out of Lawrence, Les Miles’ staff initially recruited him. But Kansas made a coaching change after a winless 2020 season and brought in Lance Leipold, who began his tenure with a blank slate and plenty of new faces.

That first recruiting class was important, though. Neal was the highest-rated player of the group, but names such as OJ Burroughs were also important as Leipold began building the KU program back up.

It was his vision that sold Neal and the rest of that group on joining a program that didn’t win a game the previous season. Leipold made it a goal to keep that core together, and that left an impression on the crown jewel of the class.

“Right away, right when they got the job, I was one of their first calls just to make sure I was still coming,” Neal said. “Because at that time, I was still in high school and I could’ve probably went through the process of releasing my NLI. But obviously, having those meetings and talking to them over and over, I just felt the trust and I felt the family orientation. I felt they were oriented in the goal of changing this program. That definitely helped ease my worry or anything else that was going on, especially at the time where there wasn’t a bunch of stability in this program. Obviously, the head coach just got fired, you never know what players are going to stay, this and that. A lot of my guys stayed – especially in my class, they stayed. They worked through this thing.

“It was rough the first year, obviously, going 2-10. But you saw the glimpse and the hope at the end of the season. Then, we got to this point. I’m just super appreciative of Coach Leipold, because they could’ve easily just abandoned ship and said, we’re not going to really dive into that class too much. But they poured their heart and soul into all of us, and that means a lot.”

Why Devin Neal returned for one more season at KU

Devin Neal’s 2023 season was one to remember. He helped Kansas to a 9-4 record – the program’s first nine-win campaign since a 12-1 record in 2007. He ran for 1,280 yards and 16 touchdowns to lead the charge. As a junior, he was eligible for the NFL Draft.

Instead of taking his talents to the next level, Neal ran it back. He got some feedback from NFL teams, but he still had goals at Kansas he wanted to chase before going to the league.

That includes walking across the stage to get his diploma as a University of Kansas graduate.

“There’s many reasons,” Neal said of his decision to come back. “Obviously, one of those reasons being I just really wanted to go to a Big 12 Championship and compete for that and have one more ride with my guys on this team. Another is the record, and another big part of my life is graduating and being able to walk. Not too many people in my family have done that, so that’s a big goal in my life that I wanted to be able to do that, for sure. So there’s a lot of reasons.

“And obviously, the feedback from the NFL, I wasn’t necessarily – at the time – comfortable with that. I have no regrets with that decision of coming back. I’ve made lifelong memories this year and all the years I’ve been in college. It’s been a blast, for sure.”

Kansas still has three games left in the regular season, starting with BYU this week. As for how he wants to be remembered at KU, Devin Neal knows the on-field numbers will be part of his legacy. But his efforts in the community, which helped him become a semifinalist for Jason Witten Man of the Year, are more important to him.

“Simply put, I could say, I want people to remember me for the type of player I am. More than likely, I want people to understand who I am off the field and the accomplishments like being a team captain and being a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Man of the Year and stuff like that,” Neal said. “Just being a bright spot for this community, for this program and being one of the focal points and faces of this program. That’s what I want to be remembered as most.

“Obviously, the record itself stands out. I would love people to understand that, too, even though that’s a little easier to understand. For those who do know me, I wish they kind of spread that around, just the type of person I’ve been throughout my career and my connection I’ve built with a lot of people in this community, as well.”