'12 AZ WR Davonte Neal (Arizona Transfer)

[Ironman8]

My comment was not entirely serious. I just remember him making a big deal that he was promised #3 or something like that

Neither was mine good sir. I just couldn't see how or why Amir would just give it up for Davonte. I'm sure he is disappointed, but his number will become popular no matter what it is if he performs on the field.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

They oughta tell Carlisle and Neal that whoever wins the starting Z WR job gets the #3.

 

[gkIrish]

He is the future of the program and maybe even the present. I have never been as excited about a player in my life. Absolutely electric.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Did you see the way Kelly's eyes lit up when they asked him about Brown, Ferguson, and Neal?

I rated it second most animated to his point about the best players, being the hardest working, and the best leaders, Eifert and Teo.

 

[NDdomer2]

Did you see the way Kelly's eyes lit up when they asked him about Brown, Ferguson, and Neal?

I rated it second most animated to his point about the best players, being the hardest working, and the best leaders, Eifert and Teo.

We continue to hear about how good of shape these kids were when they arrived at campus. It goes along with one of your other posts about how these kids want to win championships and are doing the right things in order to make those goals attainable.

 

[PraetorianND]

We continue to hear about how good of shape these kids were when they arrived at campus. It goes along with one of your other posts about how these kids want to win championships and are doing the right things in order to make those goals attainable.

Agree.

Opposite of Navy.

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

Hey on the bright side all of you that paid for a custom #19 jersey last year don't have to hang it in the back of your closet anymore!

 

[Kanye West]

Hey on the bright side, all of you that paid for a custom #19 jersey last year don't have to hang it in the back of your closet anymore!

Post of the Year right there.

 

[NDPhilly]

So I can finally break out my George West Jersey??!!! YES!!!

 

[Kanye West]

So I can finally break out my George West Jersey??!!! YES!!!

Him and DJ Hord returning kicks.....
They were so awful haha.

 

[IrishLax]

Who were the last five #19s? Just how unlucky is this number?

 

[woolybug25]

Who were the last five #19s? Just how unlucky is this number?

Aaron Lynch
Robby Toma (2010)
George West (2006-2009)
DJ Fitzpatrick (2001-2005)
Glenn Earl (2000-2004)
Jim Sanson (1996-1999)
Wayne Gunn (1996)

more than 5... but what-evs...

 

[Riddickulous]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eIhpJ01sBcc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Senior highlight film. Nasty.

 

[FWIrish4]

His shiftiness and vision are something out of this world.

And his high school team has 4 jerseys AND two different helmets. That's some funding right there.

 

[irishdiehard]

13.2 yards per carry, unreal.... His maneuverability in traffic is amazing and gets me real excited to have as a potential punt returner

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

Sick.. just plain sick.

Legend potential.. sorry Koyack.

 

[connor_in]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eIhpJ01sBcc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Senior highlight film. Nasty.

Saw it today...the bad news, he does have a tendency to run out of bounds...the good news...he usually runs out of bounds at the back and side of the end zone!

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

 

[arrowryan]

I don't know when the last time we had a kid with this caliber of athleticism.

And don't say Golden Tate, I think Neal has more athleticism than Tate

 

[cody1smith]

Gonna be hard to compare the two. Tate had a rare ability to find the ball in any coverage. Plus quaterbacks like like jimmy are hard to come by.

Neal might be a better athlete but no one will be able to bail out his quaterback the way tate did.

 

[SoIll]

decent

 

[Buster Bluth]

2/10

 

[IrishMoore1]

I think he has a much closer comparison to Theo Riddick, tho I think Neal might be faster than him.

 

[tko]

i need a diaper. i continue to soil myself every time this thread gets bumped.

 

[UmphreakDomer]

one of the best things about that video is the delicious hits the WR's were laying on defenders. and that is a non-stat that i will miss most about Floyd (at least from his senior year). i'm not sure we have good blocking WR's at this point.

 

[Irish2155]

This kid is rediculous. Not Theo, not Tate...he is Neal. And that is a great thing.

Stud

 

[Ironman8]

GA3 did not do PR last year. I could see Neal on PR and KO (with GA3) this yr

I don't know how much BK will trust a frosh at PR, especially in the big games. I think Wood or Riddick will be doing most of the duties, with the possibility of the frosh (Neal in particular) getting some opportunities in blow-out situations.

 

[Irish2155]

First of all Wood has never returned punts in his ND career. And, Theo got his chance but can't catch the ball.

Neal would be my choice at this point to handle the punt returning duties.

 

[peoriairish]

This kid is going to be like Devin Hester returning punts. He will make you sit on the edge of your seat when the ball gets kicked off expecting him to go the distance and the crowd will groan when he doesn't. This kid is something special and will bring a huge spark to a missing part of the Irish game plan. Put this kid back there.

 

[Ironman8]

First of all Wood has never returned punts in his ND career. And, Theo got his chance but can't catch the ball.

Neal would be my choice at this point to handle the punt returning duties.

Doesn't make a ton of sense to me to discount Wood as an option for never returning punts in his ND career while obviously none of the freshman have as well. Further, Riddick made the mistake we see in a lot of peple getting there first opportunity - getting caught up in the moment and trying to do too much, and only hurting himself and the team. I want to avoid a repeat of that, and trusting a true freshman in his first action to field a live punt is not exactly comfortable.

He was reportedly looked the most comfortable back there from the small amount we have heard so far, and I think we can both agree we want someone back there who is comfortable and reliable. People can knock Goody all you want, but the reasoning behind having him back there was to make sure the ball was always caught.

Do I hope that Neal or another freshman can take the reins if they are our best option from both a catching and returning perspective? Of course. But I would rather not have a heart attack everytime our returner went to catch the ball either and trust our offense to move the ball. We did not have trouble moving it at all with Tommy last year, and I only expect the offense to be enhanced with Everett or Andrew this year.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Kelly said several times last year that the good hands people, as far as catching punts was concerned, were John Goodman, Harrison Smith, and Robbie Toma. He probably would have said Mike Floyd too, except that he didn't want to play him there.

Everybody wants to see some production out of punting returns. But if we have good quarterbacking, the Kelly Offense can score from anywhere on the field. (just like we did last year when there were no Interceptions, sacks, or fumbles [or fifteen yarders]). It takes something spectacularly bad [and usually self-inflicted] to stop Kelly's offense --- run or pass.

So, we MUST CATCH THE BALL. I'd love it if one of the new guys like Neal could catch the ball. I'd love it if we'd try to regularly attempt blocked punts to create returnable semi-flubs. But NOTHING supercedes catching the ball. With our defense it's really tough to score against us, unless we give them most of the field for free.

An aside: in high school GAIII returned the Kickoffs, but Josh returned the punts. Why hasn't Josh gotten a look here? Or has he?