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PULLMAN – During the last couple of years, Leon Neal Jr. has heard coaches sing his praises tons of times.
The Washington State wide receiver would occasionally get a shoutout during spring ball, maybe another during fall camp, plus some scout team love.
But Neal never broke into the rotation, at least not at receiver. He’s become a staple on special teams, blocking a kick that was returned for touchdown in the Holiday Bowl last season. Without a scholarship, Neal never made many waves beyond that front.
As WSU spring ball enters its third week, that may be changing. Neal has earned a scholarship, coach Jimmy Rogers said after Saturday’s practice, perhaps signaling a change in the trajectory of the redshirt senior’s career.
“I think it was relief a little bit, because he was wondering if it was gonna happen,” Rogers said. “He has earned every bit of that right now. He just keeps coming out and keeps competing, and he’s always ready to play, and he’s always available. He’s usually the first guy in the line. Everything that you would say and what you’d want out of a starter right now, he’s doing. He’s setting the pace for the group right now.”
A Seattle native, Neal is making his case to break into the WSU receiver rotation, which includes returners Josh Meredith, Tre Shackelford, Tony Freeman and Branden Ganashamoorthy, plus junior college transfer Devin Ellison, which figures to be the Cougars’ main wideout corps. It’s a crowded room, which may be a promising development for WSU after the departures of Kyle Williams, Kris Hutson and Carlos Hernandez over the offseason.
If Neal is part of that in the fall, he’ll be after the first receptions of his college career, which began in 2021. Since then, he’s appeared in 20 games, all in the past two seasons, and all on…
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Publish date : 2025-03-23 02:04:00
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