#25

James Neal

Former linebacker at Texas State. 2024: 50 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss.

LB · Texas State · Sr. · #25

6′0″ · 225 lb · Paris, TX

CFB Index 30 · #452 of 571 LBsHigh confidenceTexas State 2024 — college career complete

The story

Former linebacker at Texas State. 2024: 50 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss.

Signed with UTEP in 2021.
Transferred from UTEP to Texas State in 2024.

His career, year by year

Recruiting

LB recruit

Joined UTEP

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

How it ended

Four seasons at Texas State, 133 tackles — his college career is complete.

His career

Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.

20214 games

Signed with UTEPout of Tyler J.C.

202311 games

The role got bigger.

All-Conference USAhonorable_mention

202413 games

Entered the portal

Career arc

Recruit

—

2021 class

CFB

College

2 teams

2021–2024

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

1 honor

🎖

ALL-CONFERENCE USA

All-Conference USA mention (2023)

Coaching lineage · 2021–2024

2 coaches

2021–2022

Jake Spavital

Texas State

2023–2024

G.J. Kinne

Texas State

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Jake Spavital → G.J. Kinne. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

2024 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2021UTEP7-6HC: Dana Dimel · Run-leaning

2022UTEP5-7HC: Dana Dimel · Run-leaning

2023UTEP3-9HC: Dana Dimel · Run-leaning

2024Texas State8-5HC: G.J. Kinne · Run-leaning

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

30Below cohort / limited sample #452 of 571?

High confidence6 metrics · season cumulative

Concern: sacks (25th percentile).

Box-score production (6)

Tackles#611 / 2892 · 78th pct

Solo tackles#838 / 2892 · 70th pct

QB hurries#941 / 2892 · 57th pct

Passes defended#1155 / 2892 · 49th pct

Tackles for loss#1667 / 2892 · 38th pct

1.5

Sacks#1455 / 2892 · 25th pct

0.0

Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2024 season · 13 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home8g	3.6	0.1	0.0	0.1
Road5g	4.2	0.1	0.0	0.0

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-77g	2.6	0.1	0.0	0.1
Weeks 8+6g	5.3	0.1	0.0	0.0

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

G.J. Kinne

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

Awards

Player standing · 2024

Part-time starter

Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

30 · #452 of 571 LBs

Unranked recruit. Now #452 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2024	Texas State	50	24	1.5	0.0	1	--	--
2023	UTEP	67	19	1.5	1.0	2	1	--
2022	UTEP	12	5	0.0	0.0	--	--	--
2021	UTEP	4	2	1.0	1.0	--	--	--
Career		133	50	4.0	2.0	3	1	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2024

W 34–27

vs Lamar

1 QB HUR · 1 TFL · 2 SOLO

A wire-to-wire battle — won by 7 at home.

With J. McCloud — 238 yds · 3 TD · 1 INT · QBR 63.9 · 9 rush yds (3 car) · I. Mahdi — 156 rush yds (28 car) · 1 TD

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2024 season · 13 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	W 34-27vs Lamar	3	2	1.0	—	0
Wk 2	W 49-10vs UTSA	3	2	0.0	—	1
Wk 3	L 28-31vs Arizona State	2	0	0.0	—	0
Wk 5	L 39-40@ Sam Houston	3	3	0.0	—	0
Wk 6	W 38-17@ Troy	2	1	0.0	—	0
Wk 7	W 41-9vs Arkansas State	2	1	0.0	—	0
Wk 8	L 14-24@ Old Dominion	9	5	0.5	—	0	Season-high 9 tackles
Wk 10	L 17-23vs Louisiana	4	2	0.0	—	0
Wk 11	W 38-17@ UL Monroe	5	2	0.0	—	0
Wk 12	W 58-3vs Southern Miss	9	3	0.0	—	0
Wk 13	L 44-52vs Georgia State	3	0	0.0	—	0
Wk 14	W 45-38@ South Alabama	2	1	0.0	—	0
Bowl	W 30-28vs North Texas	3	2	0.0	—	0
Total		50	24	1.5	—	1

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology