Devin Neal

Former running back at Kansas. 2024: 1,266 rushing yards, 16 rushing TD, 24 catches.

RB · Kansas · Sr. · #4

5′11″ · 215 lb · Lawrence, KS

CFB Index 87 · #6 of 310 RBsHigh confidenceAll-ConferenceNew Orleans — drafted 2025, Rd 6, Pick 8, #184 overall

Recruiting

3★

RB recruit

No. 421 nationally · Signed with Kansas

Statement game37 car · 207 yds · 3 TDvs Colorado (FBS) · W 37-21

Top 1% rushing yards game since 2021.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former running back at Kansas. 2024: 1,266 rushing yards, 16 rushing TD, 24 catches.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Kansas in 2021.
Drafted round 6 by the New Orleans in 2025.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Four seasons at Kansas, 4,343 rushing yards — drafted at #184 overall by New Orleans.

His career

He was winning awards before he was old enough to be a story.

202111 games

Signed with Kansas3-star out of Lawrence

202313 games

All-Big 12second

202412 games

All-Big 12second

2025

Drafted by New Orleansround 6, pick 184

Career arc

Recruit

★★★

#421 national

CFB

College

Kansas

2021–2024

NFL

NFL Draft

R6 · #184

New Orleans · 2025

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

7 honors · 1 category

🎖

ALL-BIG 12 · 2ND TEAM

All-Big 12 2nd team (2024)

Coaching lineage · 2021–2024

1 coach

2021–2024

Lance Leipold

Kansas

Played his entire career under Lance Leipold.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

New OrleansEntering 2nd NFL season

#184Rd 6 · Pick 8

New OrleansEntering 2nd NFL season

View college career stats ↓

2024 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

4 seasons under Lance Leipold — 22-28 over that span.

2021Kansas2-10HC: Lance Leipold · Run-leaning

2022Kansas6-7HC: Lance Leipold · Run-leaning, slow tempo

2023Kansas9-4HC: Lance Leipold · Run-heavy, slow tempo

2024Kansas5-7HC: Lance Leipold · Run-leaning

Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

87All-Conference level #6 of 310?

High confidence13 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: rush tds (97th percentile). Strength: rush yards (95th percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

TD rate#103 / 442 · 77th pct

6.9%

EPA / carry#105 / 442 · 76th pct

0.30

Yards / carry#135 / 442 · 70th pct

5.7

Success rate#196 / 442 · 56th pct

46.1%

Explosive rate#207 / 442 · 53rd pct

6.9%

Box-score rates (8)

Rush TDs#10 / 335 · 97th pct

Rush yards#17 / 335 · 95th pct

1266

Carries#22 / 335 · 94th pct

219

Rec yards#30 / 330 · 91st pct

254

Fumbles lost#1 / 204 · 87th pct

Receptions#45 / 330 · 86th pct

Yards / carry#62 / 335 · 80th pct

5.8

Long run#128 / 335 · 61st pct

Season trend

Last seasonThis season

EPA / carry

76th → 76th percentile

Success rate

52nd → 56th percentile

Explosive rate

89th → 53rd percentile

Yards / carry

92nd → 70th percentile

TD rate

86th → 77th percentile

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Situational

Situational · Carry shape (PBP, full season)

Yardage DNA

217 carries

11%

Stuffed (≤0)

38%

Grind (1–3)

36%

Chunk (4–9)

15%

Explosive (10+)

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2024 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	YDS/g	YPC	TD/g
Home6g	122	7.1	1.7
Road6g	88.8	5.3	1.0

First half vs Second half

	YDS/g	YPC	TD/g
Weeks 1-76g	97.3	6.8	0.8
Weeks 8+6g	114	5.6	1.8

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Lance Leipold

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2024

All-Conference

Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.

our read the All-Conference honor is earned — and the box score backs it up emphatically: #6 of 310 FBS backs by CFB Index Score.2024 profile

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

87 · #6 of 310 RBs

Three-star recruit. Now #6 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2024	Kansas	219	1,266	5.8	16	--
2023	Kansas	203	1,280	6.3	16	--
2022	Kansas	180	1,090	6.1	9	--
2021	Kansas	158	707	4.5	8	--
Career		760	4,343	5.7	49	--

Season	Team
2024	Kansas	24	254	10.6	1	--
2023	Kansas	25	217	8.7	1	--
2022	Kansas	21	183	8.7	1	--
2021	Kansas	7	57	8.1	1	--
Career		77	711	9.2	4	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 12 · 2024

W 17–13

at BYU

52 rush yds (14 car) · 2 TD

A wire-to-wire battle — won by 4 on the road.

With J. Daniels — 169 yds · 0 TD · 1 INT · QBR 63.0 · 15 rush yds (10 car) · D. Greaves — 41 AVG · 47 LONG · 3 NO

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 13 · Colorado · 2&11 · Q3 · EPA +3.93Devin Neal run for 28 yds to the COLO 47 for a 1ST down Colorado Penalty, (15 Yards) to the COLO 38 for a 1ST down
Week 13 · Colorado · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +3.92Jalon Daniels pass complete to Devin Neal for 51 yds for a TD (Tabor Allen KICK)
Week 14 · Baylor · 4&1 · Q4 · EPA -3.64Devin Neal run for a loss of 1 yard to the BAY 21
Week 14 · Baylor · 3&1 · Q1 · EPA +3.52Devin Neal run for 38 yds to the BAY 36 for a 1ST down
Week 1 · Lindenwood · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +3.37Devin Neal run for 53 yds to the LIN 21 for a 1ST down
Week 8 · Houston · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +3.12Devin Neal run for 54 yds to the HOU 16 for a 1ST down
Week 3 · UNLV · 2&11 · Q2 · EPA +3.12Devin Neal run for 24 yds to the UNLV 44 for a 1ST down
Week 6 · Arizona State · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +2.84Devin Neal run for 31 yds for a TD (Luke Hosford KICK)
Week 6 · Arizona State · 3&3 · Q1 · EPA +2.84Jalon Daniels pass complete to Devin Neal for 25 yds to the ASU 32 for a 1ST down
Week 13 · Colorado · 2&8 · Q2 · EPA +2.83Devin Neal run for 47 yds to the COLO 8 for a 1ST down

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2024 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	W 48-3vs Lindenwood	8	112	14.0	2	53
Wk 2	L 17-23@ Illinois	14	101	7.2	0	26
Wk 3	L 20-23vs UNLV	23	120	5.2	0	24
Wk 4	L 28-32@ West Virginia	27	110	4.1	1	11
Wk 5	L 27-38vs TCU	14	70	5.0	1	16
Wk 6	L 31-35@ Arizona State	14	71	5.1	1	31
Wk 8	W 42-14vs Houston	17	108	6.4	2	54
Wk 9	L 27-29@ Kansas State	13	66	5.1	1	24
Wk 11	W 45-36vs Iowa State	18	116	6.4	2	14
Wk 12	W 17-13@ BYU	14	52	3.7	2	8
Wk 13	W 37-21vs Colorado	37	207	5.6	3	47	Season-high 207 yds
Wk 14	L 17-45@ Baylor	20	133	6.7	1	38
Total		219	1266	6.2	16	54

How he plays

Play style

Cuts upfield fast. Designed to find the crease, not run through the line.

CFB Index positional classification

Boom vs consistent · carry-yardage shape

Steady, not spectacular

fact

217Carries

1247Yards

17.9%Top-5 share

10.6%Stuffed rate

Just 17.9% of his season rushing yards came on his 5 best carries — remarkably even — and he's stuffed on 10.6% of his carries. 10 carries for 28 yds vs Kansas State; 37 for 207 vs Colorado.

Closer · Q4-with-lead carry share

The closer

~ our read

49.3%Carry share

44.4%Q4-lead share

88.9%In competitive games

49.3% of carries overall (217/440) → 44.4% of Q4-with-lead carries (36/81) — 88.9% of those in competitive (≤16-pt) games.

Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration

Who gets the tough yard

fact

16/193rd/4th & short

14/23Inside-5 share