In high school,Reggie McNeal earned the starting quarterback job his sophomore year, throwing for 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns on his way to sophomore of the year honors. As a junior he passed for 2,150 yards and had 35 total touchdowns. He was named district MVP and 2nd team all-state that year. By his senior year, McNeal was one of the better high school quarterbacks in the country. He had 3,241 total yards and 34 total touchdowns that season, leading Lufkin to a 15-1 record and a state championship. Once again he was named district MVP and 2nd team all state. He was named East Texas player of the year and was a finalist for National High School player of the year as well. In addition to being an excellent quarterback, McNeal contributed as a defensive back when needed, picking off seven passes for the Lufkin defense. He was a four sport athlete who made the all-district basketball team and was the district champion in the 100 and 200 meters in track. McNeal also played baseball. In addition to his accomplishments in athletics, McNeal was a member of the student council, the president’s roundtable, and was a four year member of the all-academic excellence team. By the time he left high school, he was considered to be the third best prospect in the nation at the quarterback position. He accepted a scholarship to Texas A&M and made an instant impact, coming off the bench to lead the Aggies to victory over #1 ranked Oklahoma, earning national offensive player of the week honors for his performance. His four touchdown passes against the Sooners was a school record for a freshman. He sprained his ankle the very next week which caused him to miss the remainder of the game against Missouri as well as the entire game against Texas. McNeal returned as the Aggies starting quarterback his sophomore year and proved to be a real dual-threat player, passing for 1,700 yards and 8 touchdowns and running for just under 400 yards and 4 more touchdowns. As a junior McNeal made significant progress in the passing department, improving his touchdown to interception ratio to nearly 4-1, after having a ratio of nearly 1-1 the previous season. He set a school record for total offensive yards that season with 3,509 (2,791 passing, 718 rushing) yards.

Reggie McNeal is an extremely athletic quarterback who can hurt you with his feet just as much as he can with his arm. He is extremely fast and has been clocked as low as 4.28 in the 40 at Texas A&M. His athletic ability allows him to avoid the rush and get out of the pocket. He throws well on the run and can make a big play with his feet if there isn’t a receiver open. He has good arm strength but he has been a streaky passer in college. He has improved his accuracy but this is an area where he needs to continue to show improvement. He has had some minor injuries in college, but he has been able to play through them for the most part. He may need to add some bulk to hold up at the professional level. He needs to work on being more patient in the pocket as he does have a tendency to leave the pocket too soon. He could use some work on reading defenses and going through his progressions. Reggie McNeal has some areas he needs to improve on, but he has some upside and is one of the most athletic quarterbacks in the draft. He has a good chance to be a second day pick in the 2006 NFL draft.