2022 DT Curtis Neal commits to "the first program to take a chance on me"
Wisconsin was the first school to offer Curtis Neal in September of 2018.
Almost three years and 25-plus scholarships later, the three-star defensive tackle announced his commitment to the Badgers. The rising senior took officials to both UW and Ohio State before he made his decision public on Friday.
"It's amazing to commit to the first school that offered because that was the first program to take a chance on me," Neal told BadgerBlitz.com. "One of the biggest things I had in my head was that they were the first school to believe in you. They were the first school that really saw something in me and they kept pursuing me.
"Definitely a dream come true and it's crazy that it worked out that way."
Neal, 6-foot-2 and 310 pounds, was in Madison with his mother the weekend of June 4. The time spent on campus, in addition to his relationship with lead recruiter and position coach Ross Kolodziej, put the Badgers on top.
"Definitely my relationship with the coaching staff," Neal said when asked what separated UW from the rest of the pack. "My whole visit with them was just great - it was just a feeling of being home for me. Coach K is an amazing guy. My mom has full trust in him and I have full trust in him. I talk to him every day and he's just an amazing coach. When I was down there they were grilling me about committing, but I just wanted to wait and see my other options. I'm glad I did that.
"Man, it looked like Coach K was about to cry when I told him the news. The coaches were in a meeting and they just passed the phone off to everyone in the room. Everyone was just saying how excited they were about my decision."
Due to a knee injury, Neal, who also collected offers from Oregon, USC, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Penn State and Texas A&M, among many others, during the course of his recruitment, is not expected to play his senior season at Hough High School in North Carolina. That setback, however, never affected Wisconsin's interest level.
"It's an injury with a nine- to 12-month recovery," Neal said. "Wisconsin already had a plan set up for me once they heard about it. They had a trainer show me data graphs and a plan for getting me back to 100 percent. By the time I get to Wisconsin I should be around 90 percent already, so it really isn't a big deal to them. They still think I'm a great player and the injury wasn't a big deal for them.
"I feel like some people slighted me because of my injury but you can just turn on the tape. I had a freak injury my freshman year when my teammate ran into me. This year I just planted wrong and got hurt. Things happen in the trenches because I'm a defensive lineman. It's all good and I'll bounce back. I'm not too worried about that."
Neal, the No. 32 defensive tackle in the country, is happy to put his own recruitment in the rearview mirror as he now plans to help bring talent with him to Madison. Atop that list could be 2023 tailback JT Smith, his prep teammate.
"Man, it's a real headache, and some coaches get in their feelings when you don't text them back," Neal said. "It's a real headache and I'm so glad it's over with.
"Definitely going to recruit him (Smith) but everyone has their own path. If he feels like his fit is somewhere else then I won't kill him about it. But Wisconsin is definitely the place to be."
