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Reginald Parrish McNeal (born September 20, 1983 in Lufkin, Texas) is a former Quarterback at Texas A&M University.
High school career
Named East Texas Player of the Year as a senior at Lufkin High School, leading team to 15-1 record and Class 5A Division II state championship. Rushed for 159 yards and threw for 223 in state title game, and brought his team back from a 21-3 deficit despite injuring an ankle. Completed 134 of 307 passes for 2385 yards and 24 touchdowns for the season, while also rushing for 856 yards and 10 TDs. Also played defensive back in critical stages of games, once returning an INT for a TD to clinch a playoff victory, one of seven INTs as a senior. Also excelled in basketball, baseball, and track and field, earning all-district basketball honors as a junior. Was named the SuperPrep Offensive Player of the Year, and was the SuperPrep All-America #3 quarterback prospect in the country.
College career
2002 season
Earned National Offensive Player of the Week honors after coming off the bench to throw an A&M freshman record 4 TDs and lead the Aggies to a 30-26 victory over then top-ranked OU at Kyle Field. This performance earned McNeal the starting job at quarterback the following week against Mizzou, but he sprained his ankle and missed most of the rest of that season. For the year, McNeal completed 24-of-45 passes (53.3 percent) for 456 yards and 6 touchdowns, while rushing for 137 yards on 37 attempts.
2003 season
Became the Aggies' starting QB, starting in 11 games and playing in all 12. Completed 113-of-221 passes for 1,782 yards with 8 touchdown and 7 interceptions on the season. Connected on a career-best 91-yard touchdown pass to Jamaar Taylor, which ranked in a tie for the fourth-longest pass play in school history. Rushed for 370 net yards and 4 touchdowns on 127 attempts, with a long run of 33 yards. Passed for a career-best 259 yards on 11-of-18 passing against Kansas and totaled 330 yards (259 passing, 71 rushing). Threw a season-best 3 touchdown passes against Baylor.
2004 season
In his 2004 season, McNeal passed for 2,791 yards and 14 touchdowns on 200-of-344 attempts. He passed for more than 200 yards in 10 games, including a career-best 298 against the University of Wyoming. He rushed for 718 yards (breaking Bucky Richardson's A&M QB record) and eight touchdowns on 151 rushes. Had two 100-yard rushing games, including a career-best 139 on 22 carries against the University of Colorado. He set a school record for greatest offensive yards of a season with his 3,509 yards on 495 plays (7.1 per play gain).
Mcneal was named semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien Award and first-team All-Big 12 quarterback by the Dallas Morning News. He was named National Offensive Player of the Week by the Walter Camp Foundation and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after accounting for four touchdowns and 386 yards of total offense against Oklahoma State. He was named the Chevrolet Offensive Player of the Game against Texas Tech by ABC-TV. He was also heralded as "the most complete dual-threat quarterback in the nation" by ESPN.
2005 season
Before the 2005 season, McNeal graced the cover of Dave Campbell's Texas Football, a great honor within the state of Texas, alongside Vince Young of Texas. After his stellar junior campaign, Texas A&M entered the 2005 season with high hopes for both McNeal and the entire Aggie squad. Both failed to deliver, however, as A&M stumbled to a 5-6 record and did not qualify for a bowl game. McNeal played in 10 games, missing season finale against Texas because he was injured in the previous game against the University of Oklahoma. For the season, he logged a career-high 16 TD passes (9 INTs), completing 141-of-265 passes (53.2%) for 1963 yards. He led NCAA Division I QBs in rushing average at 6.9 yards (96-for-664), pacing the Aggies with four 100-yard rushing games. He passed for 349 yards and five TDs against SMU and also rushed six times for 100 yards, earning the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week award, the Walter Camp Player of the Week award and Cingular All-America Player of the Week award.
McNeal returned to action in January 2006 for the postseason East-West Shrine Game in San Antonio, Texas, and led West team to 35-31 win with 9-of-11 passing for 211 yards and two TDs (no INTs). He also rushed four times for 32 yards.
Advocacy and criticism
Fans who defended McNeal's career point to his record-breaking junior year in which he led Texas A&M to a Cotton Bowl appearance. They also cite the difficult environment at Texas A&M, as McNeal played under two philosophically different head coaches, three offensive coordinators, and several different position coaches at A&M. It has been speculated that the quality of Texas A&M's recruiting saw a sharp decline in R. C. Slocum's last years, and that the talent surrounding McNeal was sparse and underdeveloped. In addition, it is generally conceded that the offensive schemes run by coach Dennis Franchione did not properly utilize McNeal's talent. Competition from Dustin Long, another record-breaking QB who was very popular with Aggie players and fans alike, may have slowed McNeal's development.
Critics of his record typically cite A&M team performance. During McNeal's four-year career at Texas A&M, the Aggies were 0-4 against rival Texas, 0-2 against Virginia Tech, 0-2 against Nebraska, 1-3 against Texas Tech, 1-3 against Oklahoma, and were invited to only one post-season bowl game where they were on the wrong end of a 38-7 drubbing by the Tennessee Volunteers. McNeal was not considered a "vocal leader," and although he was voted by his teammates onto the Aggies Leadership Council as a senior, this came after two of his backups were voted onto the council in previous seasons, perhaps speaking to the players' perception of his leadership skills.
Professional career
National Football League draft
In spite of his fine performance following his senior season, NFL teams were hesitant to draft McNeal as a quarterback. A combination of he Aggies' poor season and McNeal's inconsistent play along with questions about his durability and quarterback skills dropped his stock in the 2006 NFL Draft. Because of his impressive NFL combine results (he has been timed as quick as a 4.28 in the 40-yard dash) and overall athleticism, McNeal was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals as a wide receiver in the 6th round of the 2006 NFL Draft.
National Football League
McNeal played in all four of the Bengals' preseason games, and recorded 3 catches for 46 yards and 1 TD, plus 2 rushes for 13 yards. Was waived September 2nd and signed to the practice squad September 6th. He was signed to 53-player roster on September 19th, and was placed on the inactive list for Games 3-9. Made his NFL debut on November 19th in Game 10 at New Orleans and also played November 26th at Cleveland. McNeal was in uniform as designated third QB on inactive list for Games 5-7, due to an appendectomy that sidelined QB Anthony Wright. McNeal recorded his first (and only) offensive stat in the NFL against the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football, December 18th, when he lined up at quarterback and scrambled for eight yards on third down, giving the Bengals the first. The Bengals released McNeal on September 1, 2007.
Canadian Football League
On October 2, 2007, McNeal signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League and was added to their practice roster. He was later released by the team on October 16, 2007.
Criminal charges
In the early morning of Sunday, December 3rd, 2006, McNeal was arrested and charged with resisting arrest at The Red Door, a nightclub in downtown Houston, Texas. McNeal allegedly pushed an off-duty Houston Police Department officer while trying to get into the club after it closed. Stemming from the same evening's events, McNeal also faced drug possession charges for having a cigarette which contained promethazine, a prescription antihistamine and also a popular street drug, especially in the Houston area.
References
- "'04 O'Brien Semifinalist McNeal Named to Award's 2005 "Watch List"" (Press release). Texas A&M Athletics. August 18, 2005.
{{cite press release}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - "Texas A&M Football History" (Press release). Texas A&M Athletics.
- "Espn.com draft card" (Press release). Espn.com.
- "Is Reggie McNeal an NFL caliber quarterback?" (Press release). RealFootball365.com.
- "NFL Transactions". The Baltimore Sun. 2007-09-02. Retrieved 2007-09-02.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - "2007-10-16: Argonauts Transactions". CFL. 2007-10-16. Retrieved 2007-10-30.
- "Former Aggie Star Quarterback Out on Bond" (Press release). KHOU.
- "Bengals rookie McNeal also facing drug charge after arrest" (Press release). KRIS.
External links
| Preceded byDustin Long | Texas A&M Starting Quarterbacks 2002-2005 |
Succeeded byStephen McGee |