LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas senior running back Devin Neal has been announced as one of 20 semifinalists for the eighth annual Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award. He was previously named to the award’s watch list on Sept. 26.
The award, presented by Albertsons and Tom Thumb, is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player's leadership, both on and off the field. Leadership is a term synonymous with Jason Witten, who, in addition to becoming one of the best tight ends in the history of the sport, served as one of football's most prominent role models during his 16-year pro career.
Neal becomes the third Jayhawk to be named a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Man of the Year Award, joining Bryce Torneden (2019) and Joe Dineen Jr (2018). To be eligible for the award, the student-athletes, nominated by their schools, must have demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field.
Prior to the season, Neal was also named to the watch list for the Maxwell Award and the Doak Walker Award. He also earned a spot on watch lists for a pair of postseason all-star games, the Reese’s Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine Bowl.
Neal committed to Kansas in 2020 and wanted to be a building block for the Jayhawks. Since then, he’s helped lead the program to back-to-back bowl appearances for just the second time in program history. Voted a team captain this season, Neal has helped the program excel because of his leadership, and his off the field presence is equally impactful. This past year, he has helped organize a back-to-school supply drive as well as a winter coat and toy drive for kids in Lawrence.
On the field, Neal has continued to excel at a high level. This season, Neal has rushed for 692 yards and seven touchdowns on 117 attempts, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. His average of 98.9 yards per game ranks among the top-20 nationally, and he’s rushed for more than 100 yards in five of KU’s seven games. Neal is the active leader among FBS players with 40 rushing touchdowns and he ranks second among active Power 4 running backs with 3,769 career rushing yards.
The hometown Lawrence, Kansas native, Neal is on the cusp of becoming Kansas football’s all-time leading rusher, needing 73 yards to pass the mark of 3,841 yards, set by June Henley from 1993-96. Neal is currently tied with Henley’s career total touchdowns record of 43 (40 rushing/3 receiving) and enters Saturday’s game one rushing touchdown shy of Henley’s career rushing touchdowns record of 41. Neal has rushed for more than 100 yards in 17 career games, which is tied for the school record held by Tony Sands from 1988-91.
Last season, Neal became the third Jayhawk in school history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons, joining James Sims (2012-13) and Pooka Williams Jr. (2018-19). He also scored 16 rushing touchdowns in 2023, marking the second-highest single season total in school history and the most by a Jayhawk since 2007.
Neal is one of 20 semifinalists, including two from the Big 12 Conference. The full list of semifinalists includes: Justin Barron (Syracuse), Dylan Black (Oregon State), Brady Cook (Missouri), Dontay Corleone (Cincinnati), Ajani Cornelius (Oregon), Luke Deal (Auburn), Jacob Gardner (Colorado State), Ahmed Hassanein (Boise State), Seth Henigan (Memphis), Isaiah Jacobs (UAB), Jake Majors (Texas), Bru McCoy (Tennessee), Devin Neal (Kansas), Kaimon Rucker (North Carolina), Cody Simon (Ohio State), Logan Taylor (Hawai’i), Dante Trader, Jr. (Maryland), Jalon Walker (Georgia), J.J. Weaver (Kentucky) and Jackson Woodard (UNLV).
Three finalists will be named for the award on Monday, December 16, with the winner to be announced at the award ceremony at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on February 12, 2025.
Last year, Mike Hollins of Virginia won the seventh annual award. The first six Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year awards were presented to Shaquem Griffin of UCF in 2017, D'Cota Dixon of Wisconsin in 2018, Trey Smith of Tennessee in 2019, Sam Ehlinger of Texas in 2020, Joshua Paschal of Kentucky in 2021 and Deslin Alexandre of Pittsburgh in 2022.
In addition to winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2012, Witten also received the Bart Starr Award, Pro Football Weekly's Humanitarian of the Year Award, Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP and the Bob Lilly Award, among many others. All of those honors have recognized his work in the community, achievements on the field and dedication to his teammates and family.
The winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year will also receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school's athletic scholarship fund. The contribution will be made by Jason Witten's SCORE Foundation, the official charity of Jason and his wife Michelle.