Tuesday, August 7, 2012

2013 Recruiting: Keanu Neal

(OrlandoSentinel.com)
Position:  Safety
Hometown/School:  Bushnell, FL - South Sumter
Height/Weight:  6'1/205


Other Offers:  Auburn, Clemson, South Carolina, USF, Georgia Tech

Report:  Neal committed to the Gators back on Florida's Junior Day in February.  Neal joined Nick Washington as Florida's 2013 commitments at the position.

Neal is a consensus 4-star recruit and Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN all rank him in the top 25 amongst safeties in the nation.

According to his Scout profile, Neal totaled 140 tackles, 4 INTs, and forced 4 fumbles last year for South Sumter.

As you can tell my his measurables, Neal is a big safety.  Some people see Neal as an OLB, but I see him playing safety with the Gators.

To the scouting reports.

We'll start off with the opinion of Scout.com's Chad Simmons.  Simmons touches on Neal's hard-hitting style which is he is known for.
Neal is a very strong tackler and a hard hitting safety. He plays some in and out of the box, but he is best when attacking the football at full speed. His strength is against the run right now, so he will need to improve on his coverage when he gets to the next level. He will need to work on his footwork and his hip rotation. He has the size to play early and he will a hitter people talk about.
Neal was invited to compete with the best at Nike's The Opening.  With the intense media coverage around the event, there are a couple tidbits on Neal's performance that I will share.

Neal's stock was on the rise according to Rivals analyst Mike Farrell($):
Neal is a big safety with good coverage skills and solid ball skills. His deflection to save the game for his team in winning the title after getting beaten for a touchdown earlier shows me he has a short memory, something needed for a defensive back. 
InsidetheGators.com ranked Neal as the best Florida commitment/target at the camp($):
He showed there is a lot more to his game that being a "smash-mouth" safety. Neal showed great instincts in the passing game, and the scary thing is, he did all this without pads on which brings a whole new dimension to his game.
Neal has been invited to some of the biggest national prep events including Gridiron Kings and The Opening.  Fans will get the chance to see Neal play in the Under Armour All-American Game in January.

Videos:
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