Devin Neal

Devin Neal took a leap of faith when he signed with the Kansas Jayhawks out of high school. At that point, KU was one of the worst teams in college football. Yet, Neal, a Lawrence, Kansas, native, believed the turnaround could happen for his hometown Jayhawks and he wanted to play a key role in the transformation. And boy did he ever. Through the first three years of Neal’s college career, he’s led Kansas in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in each of those three seasons. Heading into 2024, he’s coming off of back-to-back seasons in which he’s rushed for more than 1,000 yards while leading KU to back-to-back bowl games. “He's still hungry and determined and I think some of the things that helped him decide to want to stay instead of going to the NFL,” KU coach Lance Leipold said ahead of the 2024 season. “I've said this to Devin, I've said this to (KU athletic director) Travis Goff, I've said others: I sure hope that when Devin Neal is done playing he is somehow connected to the University of Kansas as an ambassador or something for the rest of his life because I think he's that type of person. I think he represents everything that is still excellent about college football and about what guys do and do through work ethic and humbleness and hard work.”