Reggie McNeal

With all of the success Michael Vick has had over the past two years, it's inevitable that there'll be a high school QB over the next few years who compares to the former Virginia Tech star. This season's prep version of Vick is Reggie McNeal, a 6-2, 190-pounder from Lufkin, Texas.

A three-year starter, McNeal has big-time arm strength, sprinter speed and a devastating ability to throw the ball while on the run. As a junior he threw for 2,109 yds and 24 TDs while rushing for over 1,000 yds and nine TDs.

On film, he impresses you as a confident and very athletic player with tremendous escapability and a sixth sense that tells him when a defender is near. He's also the team leader and a coach on the field. He earned Second Team All-State honors as a junior and proved to be a prolific passer with a quick release and outstanding vision. Opposing coaches tell me that whenever they play Lufkin, the majority of their meeting time is spent deciding how to defend Reggie McNeal.

He is, without a doubt, one of the nation's two most explosive offensive talents, along with Ben Olson. McNeal is a nightmare to opposing coaches once he has left the pocket and starts to roll out. He has the ability to find his secondary receivers but also to tuck the ball in and run for major yardage. Almost impossible to defend, he can change the course of a game with one play.

Not only is Reggie the state of Texas' top quarterback, he is also one of its top sprinters in track, having been timed in a 10.36 100 meters, and he finished third in state in that event. He also won the district title in the 200 meters with a best of 21.1.

Lufkin is about an hour and a half north of the Houston area, and consequently every coach that flew into Houston during the May evaluation period drove up to Lufkin to see if they have a chance at signing this prep superstar. However, McNeal ended the speculation earlier than most people thought he would when he committed to Texas A&M over Florida State, Oklahoma, Miami, Arkansas and LSU. He's the best quarterback prospect A&M has pledged in recent memory.

Tom Lemming is editor of Prep Football Report. For information on how to subscribe to Prep Football Report's three yearly magazines and five newsletters ($60 for the magazines and $90 for both magazines and newsletters), fax your name, address and fax number to 847-842-1313 or write to P.O. Box 59113, Schaumburg, Ill. 60159. For year-round recruiting updates, call Tom Lemming's Prep Football Hotline at 900-860-9888. Calls are $1.79 per minute, and callers must be 18 years old or have parents' permission.