Before he was taking passes away for UTRGV, TJ Neal was throwing them at Wichita South High School. The Wichita, Kansas, defensive back finished with 2 interceptions and 10 tackles in the Vaqueros’ 13–3 win over Southeastern on October 10.
One interception became a 51-yard return. The Southland Conference named Neal its Defensive Player of the Week after a game in which UTRGV allowed only a field goal. His line included 5 solo tackles and 5 assists.
His school biography records a senior season at Wichita South with 20 touchdown passes, 10 rushing touchdowns and 3 interceptions on defense. Playing both ways gave Neal more than one way to change a game. This time, the ball was coming the other direction. Wichita South is where that two-way story began.
Sources: southland.org, goutrgv.com, goutrgv.com.
