KANSAS ROOTS. 956 RESULTS. TJ NEAL CAME TO COLLECT

DITV PRESENTS | PLAYER OF THE GAME | VOL. 01

The game tells us who showed out. DITV tells you who they are.

TJ Neal spent his high school days in Kansas trying to make defensive backs look silly.

Now he’s in the 956 returning the favor.

Funny how football works.

Back at Wichita South, UTRGV’s No. 2 was an All-State quarterback and safety. Calling plays, reading defenses, finding passing windows and putting points on the board.

Now? My guy is out here repossessing footballs.

Same game. Different side of the hustle.

And peep the journey.

Washburn. Independence Community College. UTRGV.

No overnight sensation. At Independence, Neal stacked 57 tackles and three interceptions. Then he pulled up to Edinburg and recorded 69 tackles during the Vaqueros’ inaugural season.

Year Two for UTRGV. Year Five for Neal.

That’s a whole lot of football experience for a program barely two years old but already making noise in the Southland.

But here’s where it gets interesting.

Think about it. Neal used to be the dude looking for that soft spot in coverage. He knows why a QB likes a certain matchup, how a passing window develops, and what happens when a defender gets there first.

Does that mean he knows every play coming? Nah.

But he’s seen the game from both sides of the argument. And right now, he’s winning plenty of those arguments.

Before the season, Neal told Vaquero Radio he wanted to create at least five turnovers.

Not tackles. Takeaways.

Six games in?

Three interceptions already.

Including two against No. 25 Southeastern Louisiana, where he added 10 tackles and a 51-yard return on his way to Southland Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Not a bad little semester for somebody who switched majors on the football field.

And the story goes deeper than the stat sheet.

Coach Travis Bush identified Neal as a returning captain who brings leadership and toughness. He’s been through Division II, junior college and FCS football. Now he’s bringing that experience into a locker room building on a nine-win inaugural season.

That’s veteran presence with production to back it up.

And here’s the part you can’t make up.

Neal is actually majoring in education.

He’s also expressed interest in coaching after football.

Former quarterback. Current defensive back. Future coach?

My dude isn’t just collecting interceptions. He’s collecting football perspectives.

Kansas taught him how to run an offense.

College football taught him how to see the game from the other side.

Now he’s three interceptions into a five-turnover goal, and the 956 is watching.

Somebody should’ve checked his transcript.

DITV956 | PLAYER OF THE GAME

Not just the stat sheet. The story behind the smoke.