Rare for S.F.: Mission football player’s letter of intent
Every member of The Chronicle’s Fab 50 Metro football players list has a story to tell.
Julian Neal’s might be the best.
Mission’s 6foot3, 200pound senior safety and wide receiver is the first San Francisco public school player in 20 years to sign a football letter of intent straight out of high school. The last to do so was Galileo defensive lineman Kyle Morgan (University of Miami) in 2001.
Considering Neal was a secondteam AllAcademic Athletic Association selection in 2019 and there wasn’t a 2000 season in the fall, how in the world did he demand the attention of not only Fresno State, the school with which he signed, but also San Jose State and Eastern Washington?
Even the AAA’s best players over the past two decades — the late David Henderson (Lincoln running back), McLeod BethelThompson (Balboa quarterback) and Niamey Harris (Mission quarterback) — didn’t sign letters of intent out of high school.
“I just put together a real good Hudl tape, put all my best plays on them, set up a Twitter account and sent it out,” Neal said. “That and I got real focused.”
ThenSan Jose State director of player personnel Courtney Morgan came calling last March. He liked Neal’s size, speed and bigplay prowess.
“The moment he offered, I kind of went numb,” Neal said. “All I ever wanted growing up was to get a college football scholarship.”
Shortly after the offer, the coronavirus hit full force and Morgan left San Jose State to join Fresno State.
“I just kept working super
hard on my body and grades,” Neal said.
Morgan extended an offer from Fresno State, and soon afterm, Eastern Washington called. For Neal, it was a nobrainer. Besides his loyalty to Morgan, Neal watched his uncle, former Riordan receiver Aaron Criswell, play for UNLV at Fresno State in 2015.
On July 4, Neal announced his commitment to the Bulldogs and on Dec. 16, he signed.
“I felt like Mr. Morgan changed my life — he gave me a chance — and I want to repay him,” Neal said. “I had no idea it had been that long since a city kid earned a scholarship. I feel like I’ve got to make this count.”
Life has changed around his home in Hunters Point. “People actually have pulled over their cars and congratulated me,” Neal said. “I’m so extremely grateful for how far I’ve come in my life.”
The list: The Metro Fab 50 remains loaded even after many top recruits opted out of their senior seasons to focus on freshman college seasons. The five toprated seniors aren’t playing: MenloAtherton wide receiver Troy Franklin (Oregon), Napa tight end Brock Bowers (Georgia) and three players headed for Cal: tight end Jermaine Terry (KennedyRichmond), LibertyBrentwood defensive end Akili Calhoun and Pittsburg lineman Ryan Lange.
Many twosport athletes, especially baseball players, have skipped the short football season, which begins Friday and Saturday with a short list of games and concludes April 27. Most teams will scrimmage this week and begin games March 1920.
S.F. update: There’s a chance Neal and other AAA athletes will have a season after the San
Francisco health department told The Chronicle on Friday it took away the directive tying inperson learning to athletics.
“Sports are not tied to inperson learning at schools,” the SFDPH wrote in an email. “The sports directive stands separate from schools.”
It’s now up to the San Francisco Unified School District to announce its support for athletics, as Los Angeles did Wednesday. Both school districts have set partial plans to return to classrooms.