Coach Neal enters the 2026 season with 7 years of leadership as Head Football Coach of the McMurry University War Hawks. A native of Abilene and former high school and collegiate standout quarterback, Coach Neal has revitalized the War Hawk football program with strategic leadership and a commitment to developing champions on and off the field.
In 2025, McMurry captured back-to-back Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Championships, culminating in a high-drama 27–19 comeback victory over Texas Lutheran in the inaugural SCAC Championship Game. The War Hawks’ championship game performance highlighted a season of growth, teamwork, and top-tier competition. McMurry finished with a 6-4 overall record (4-1 SCAC), and led the conference in total defense while also ranking first in passing offense—a testament to the balanced excellence Coach Neal and his staff has built into the program. The back-to-back league championships in 2024 and 2025 are a first in McMurry’s 103 year football history.
Under Coach Neal’s direction in 2025, the War Hawks claimed four of the SCAC’s five major individual awards, and he was honored as SCAC Coach of the Year—the first head coach in McMurry football history to earn the accolade.
Coach Neal’s tenure has seen a dramatic turnaround for McMurry football. After guiding the War Hawks to their first winning season in over a decade in 2023 and then a share of the 2024 SCAC Championship—featuring standout performers and multiple all-conference honorees—Neal has continued to elevate the program’s competitive profile. In 2024, McMurry was picked pre-season to win the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference in the preseason poll and went on to do so with a 7-1 conference record. The War Hawks have dominated the SCAC over the past 2 seasons with a 11-2 overall conference record and 2 championships.
In seven seasons under Neal's direction, McMurry has had an incredible 105 all-conference selections across the ASC and the SCAC, as well as numerous individual awards and recognitions for his players:
12 D3football.com All-Region honorees:
- Josh Smith – LB – Shreveport Airline HS – 2nd Team (2021)
- Jared Mendoza – K/P – Fort Worth Western Hills HS – 2nd Team (2022)
- Kristopher Martin – WR – El Paso El Dorado HS – 2nd Team (2023)
- Chris Baker – DB – Mansfield Summit HS – 3rd Team (2023)
- Tim Leatherman – DB – Ingram Tom Moore HS – 1st Team (2024)
- Kristopher Martin – WR – El Paso El Dorado HS – 1st Team (2024)
- Kane Strohman – DE – Katy Seven Lakes HS – 2nd Team (2024)
- Dorian Leblanc – DT – Beaumont United HS – 1st Team (2025)
- Jackson Harris – DE – Kilgore HS – 2nd Team (2025)
- Dylon Davis – DB – Abilene Cooper HS – 2nd Team (2025)
- Bryce Neves - LB – Abilene HS – 3rd Team (2025)
- Jax Rodriguez – K/P – Lago Vista HS – 3rd Team (2025)
33 ASC & SCAC Player of the Week Honorees:
- Colton Strickland – DL – Hawley HS (Spring 2021)
- Dexter Wyble – QB – Humble HS (2021)
- Darrin Boston – DB – Lamar Consolidated HS (2021)
- Dee Robinson – RB – Rice HS (2021)
- Devin Nixon – DL – Vidor HS (2022)
- Jared Mendoza – K/P – Fort Worth Western Hills HS (2022)
- Jess Hoel – QB – Abernathy HS (2023) x 2
- Tim Leatherman – DB – Ingram Tom Moore HS (2023) x 2
- Kane Strohman – DL – Katy Seven Lakes HS (2023) x 2
- Zach Mitchell – LB – Fort Worth O.D. Wyatt HS (2023)
- Jared Mendoza – K/P – Fort Worth Western Hills HS (2023) x 2
- Jess Hoel – QB – Abernathy HS (2024) x 4
- Kristopher Martin – WR – El Paso El Dorado HS (2024)
- Kane Strohman – DL – Katy Seven Lakes HS (2024)
- Zach Mitchell – LB – Fort Worth O.D. Wyatt HS (2024)
- Jax Rodriguez – P – Lago Vista HS (2024)
- Bruce Brown – P – Santa Anna HS (2024)
- Dylan Plake – QB – Harker Heights HS (2025) x 2
- Thomas Chandler – WR – Waco HS (2025)
- Jackson Harris – DL – Kilgore HS (2025)
- Zach Mitchell – LB – Fort Worth O.D. Wyatt HS (2025)
- Bryce Neves – LB – Abilene HS (2025) x 2
- Jax Rodriguez – K/P – Lago Vista HS (2025) x 2
8 D3football.com National Team of the Week players:
- Devin Nixon (Spring 2021)
- Jared Mendoza – K – Fort Worth Western Hills HS (Fall 2021)
- Brendon Torrence – LB – Point Loma HS (Fall 2021)
- Jared Mendoza – K – Fort Worth Western Hills HS (2022)
- Kristopher Martin – WR – El Paso El Dorado HS (2024)
- Kane Strohman – DE – Katy Seven Lakes HS (2024)
- Jax Rodriguez – K – Lago Vista HS (2024)
- Jackson Harris – DE – Kilgore HS (2025)
4 All-American Honors:
- Tim Leatherman – DB – Ingram Tom Moore HS – AFCA 1st Team, Associated Press 1st Team, D3football.com 1st Team (Fall 2024)
- Dorian Leblanc – DT – Beaumont United HS – D3football.com 2nd Team (Fall 2025)
Individual School Records:
- Josh Smith – LB – Shreveport Airline HS (2018-2021) – Became the first player in ASC history to land all-conference honors for five straight seasons, three of which came under Neal. Smith also went on to claim the school’s all-time career record for tackles with 385 under Neal’s leadership.
- Kristopher Martin – WR – El Paso El Dorado HS (2021-2024) – Became McMurry’s all-time leading receiver with 203 career receptions, 3,069 career receiving yards, and 18 career 100-yard receiving games.
- Jared Mendoza – K – Fort Worth Western Hills (2019-2023) – Broke the school record for made field goals in a game with 4, broke the school record for made field goals with 21 in his career, and also broke the mark for longest made field goal in school history at 57 yards.
- Herman Lee – LB – Prosper HS (2021-2024) – Broke the single season record with 9.5 sacks in 2023.
- Kane Strohman – DE – Katy Seven Lakes HS (2021-2024) – Tied the school record for tackles for loss in a single season with 19.
- Jax Rodrgiuez – K/P – Lago Vista HS (2024-Current) – Broke the school record for made field goals in a season with 12 in 2025.
Prior to McMurry, Neal spent six years as the Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator at Hendrix College, as the school reintroduced football after a 53-year hiatus. According to HC head coach Buck Buchanan, Neal called every offensive play from the program's start back in 2013. Buchanan said, "I just let him do his thing.” And that “thing” virtually instantly generated one of the most productive offenses in NCAA Division III. Neal-led units have earned four NCAA III annual statistical champion honors: 2016- Passing Offense (with a Division III record 600 yards per game); 2016- Passing Efficiency; 2014 & 2016- Pass Completion Percentage. Prior to joining the Hendrix staff, Neal was the Offensive Line Coach/Player Development Coordinator at Texas Lutheran University in 2012, setting multiple school records and an ASC-leading offense. From 2008-11, Neal was the Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach at Howard Payne University, generating the top offense in the ASC in 2009. Neal has been the winning head coach in the Dream Bowl, a premier All-Star Game in Virginia Beach, Va., 6 out of the first seven years of its existence. In 2020, McMurry had two seniors represent the program in the game, Eriel Dorsey and Kevin Hurley Jr. In 2025, McMurry had three seniors represented in Kane Strohman, Tim Leatherman, and Kristopher Martin. Neal played his college football locally as a quarterback at Hardin-Simmons University under head coach Jimmie Keeling. As for his own career in leading the HSU offense, he was a four-time ASC Academic All-Conference honoree. Neal was a three-time All-ASC player, earning second-team in 2003, as well as first team in 2004 and 2006, when he was also voted the circuit’s Offensive Player of the Year. At the completion of his playing career, he held 16 single-season or career records at HSU, including the career passing yards record with 8,347. Neal was a finalist for the 2006 Gagliardi Trophy, emblematic of the top player – athletically and academically – in NCAA Division III football. After graduation, Neal played professionally in Malmo, Sweden with the Limhamn Griffins. While there, the Griffins won the Swedish American Football Federation title and Neal was named the league's Import Player of the Year. As a prep at Cooper High School, graduating in 2001, Neal played football under legendary coach Randy Allen. He was a two-year varsity letterman, earning first team All-State 5A in 2000. He was also the District 4-5A Offensive Player of the Year in 2000 and the Big Country FCA Football All-Star Game Offensive Player of the Game.
Off the field, Coach Neal emphasizes academic success, leadership development, and community engagement. He and his wife, Amanda, who is a professor in the education department at McMurry, are deeply involved in the Abilene community and share a passion for supporting McMurry student-athletes in every area of their collegiate experience. They have been married since 2007 and have a nine year old daughter, Adriana.
