Davonte’ Neal, the state of Arizona’s top-ranked football recruit in the class of 2012, is set to announce his college decision today at a news conference at 9:30 a.m. Neal’s decision will be webcast by Fox Sports Arizona starting a half-hour earlier.
Neal is being recruited as an athlete but would likely play receiver or cornerback should he commit to the UA. He’s ranked the eighth-best prospect in the country by ESPNU and is the only player in the ESPN top 150 that has yet to announce his college destination.
The standout from Scottsdale Chaparral High School is deciding between Arizona, Notre Dame, North Carolina and Arkansas. The 5-foot-10, 175 pound Neal rushed for 1317 yards and averaged 13.17 yard per carry during his senior season. He also hauled in 62 receptions for 1113 yards and scored 30 offensive touchdowns.
Richard Obert of The Arizona Republic, who has been following Neal’s recruitment for more than a year, wrote on his blog “My gut tells me it’s UA, but I wouldn’t be surprised if either Arkansas or Notre Dame come up as the school on Tuesday.”
Neal would be a key commitment for first-year coach Rich Rodriguez, who may have bolstered his chances by hiring former Chaparral coach Charlie Ragle as the UA’s liaison to in-state recruiting. The signing of Neal would also go a long way toward Rodriguez locking down in-state recruiting; something he said is one of his top goals.
The Wildcats signed two of Neal’s teammates from Chaparral in the 2012 class — defensive end Dylan Cozens and linebacker Cody Ippolito.
Check DailyWildcat.com and follow @WildcatSports on Twitter tomorrow for full coverage of Neal’s decision.
