Like many Jayhawks after last year’s season, running back Devin Neal is hoping to build on the foundation that was laid last fall. The Lawrence native finished his sophomore season with 1090 yards and nine touchdowns to help his hometown school into their first bowl game since 2008.

Neal has taken several steps to build on the momentum that he and Kansas football established. The first of which was ending his baseball career, helping him lock in on his football career.

“Not playing baseball has helped, just not being worn out, being able to stay in the training room and just focus on the details,” Neal said.

The time spent not playing baseball allowed him to make a trip down to Florida, where he got to work with a running back that has succeeded at both levels.

“So I actually had a cool experience too, in our last break, I was down in Tampa training at House of Athlete and I was training with Leonard Fournette and just picking his brain and stuff like that,” Neal said. “So those experiences are valuable to me and so I've just been looking forward to just getting better and just experiencing stuff.”

Neal has his eyes set on the NFL, and Fournette is not the only NFL player he’s gotten to connect with. Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson was also in Florida. Neal also hasn’t been afraid to reach out to an opponent in former Texas and now Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson.

“Me and Bijan have talked before on social media, so I ask them questions,” Neal said.

The learning experiences haven’t stopped at conversations for Neal either. He’s taken pride in watching other NFL running backs besides the ones he has connections with.

“I was watching Dalvin Cook,” Neal said. " I think there's certain aspects of our game that are similar. I was watching [Christian] McCaffery. Obviously I want to get to his point, the versatility of his game. That's where I want to get to. So just analyzing what he does and how he gets to the point.”

A common thread amongst running backs in the NFL however, is either suffering injuries, or struggling through contract negotiations. Head coach Lance Leipold is aware that Neal is likely going to consider leaving Kansas early. The potential decision leaves room for numerous possibilities for Neal depending on how the upcoming season goes.

“It could mean for a running back that he probably has a decision to make,” Leipold said. “It's a hard dilemma for running backs because A, they're, they're not going as high in the draft. And B, you've got to look at how longevity I guess and health.”

In the 2021 NFL Draft, there wasn’t a running back taken in the first round. Iowa State product Breece Hall was the first one off of the board at No. 36. Neal, seeing running backs taken later in the draft than ever, and seeing players like Cook struggle to be valued in free agency, knows his window for an NFL career might be small as well.

“Obviously I do have my own dreams and aspirations,” Neal said. “I’m not thinking too hard about it, but definitely is on the back burner thinking about the NFL, especially with my age and being a running back too.”

Whether or not Neal’s 2023 campaign will be his last as a Jayhawk or not, he remains committed to helping his team as they continue to grow.

“It could be a really big year for me, but even more importantly, big for our team,” Neal said. “I'm just really excited to see what we do this year.”