Devin Neal knows the patience it takes turning a program around

Devin Neal has a pulse on the Kansas program, more than any other recruit on the board. The Lawrence prospect doesn’t live far from the Anderson Family Football Complex, so he’s very familiar with state of the program.

Neal, who is the highest rated recruit in the class, said he isn’t surprised by the small steps the team has to take to turn it around.

He looks back a couple years ago, when he and his teammates helped change the Lawrence High program.

“I kind of have a similar thing going back to my sophomore year,” Neal said. “You play so many sophomores, it's like playing freshmen at the college division one level, in my opinion. And so, I know what it's going to take, and you just see those guys and there are some rising stars (at KU).”

Neal has seen a lot of young players developing for the Jayhawks this season. He knew where the program was when he committed and believes it will grow.

“Nothing has changed for me,” he said. “I knew what I was getting into from the beginning and it's honestly really exciting to see the progression.”

He has been talking with Kansas coaches Brent Dearmon and Jonathan Wallace quite often. There aren’t many days that go by where Neal doesn’t have some kind of contact with the Kansas staff.

“I talk to Dearmon and Wallace about that and they know my head hasn't changed about my relationship with them,” Neal said. “I'm just looking forward to getting up there after my senior year of football and baseball. We're just going to keep grinding and this thing is eventually going to turn around. I truly believe that, and I don't falter in saying that.”

There are several recruits in the 2021 class who expect to graduate early and be on campus for spring football. That thought went through Neal’s mind, but he wants to finish his senior year on the baseball field before he starts his college career.

Neal will play football and baseball at Kansas. He and his teammates lost their baseball season last spring due to the pandemic when all spring sports were canceled.

“It's definitely been a thought of mine,” he said on graduating early. “But as of right now, we're having baseball season and I'm definitely going to finish my high school baseball season because I didn't get to play my junior year. It's just something that me and my friends have talked about our entire life is trying to win a state championship in baseball and football. We just have a really special class in high school.”

Neal talked about the future but right now his mind is focused on Friday night. Lawrence High will take on Derby in the state quarterfinals.

“We’ve been practicing hard and all of us have a really sharp head and sharp focus going into this weekend,” he said. “We know what we have to do, and all of our focus has been on playing Derby.”