Louisiana DB emerging as sleeper

Junior to Watch: Johnell Neal

School: Baton Rouge (La.) Redemptorist HS

Position: Cornerback

Size and speed: Neal is 5-foot-11, weighs 170 pounds, and runs the 40-yard dash in 4.42 secons.

Honors: Was named all-district as a junior.

Favorite Schools: LSU, Florida State, Southern Miss, Minnesota, Indiana.

Skinny: As is the case with many teammates of elite prospects, Baton Rouge (La.) defensive back Johnell Neal may stand to benefit greatly from all of the early attention being received by Redemptorist stars Jay Lucas and Torey Byrd.

Neal (5-11, 170, 4.42) is cornerback who is starting to grab scouts’ attention as they visit the school.

“He kind of gets lost in the shuffle,” Redemptorist assistant coach Frank Fresina said. “Everybody comes in looking at Jay and Torey, but they leave really impressed by Johnell. We’ve had several people who are taking a long look at him now.

“Jimbo Fisher at LSU really likes him. He came by one day while we were working out in P.E. and got a chance to see him move around a little bit. Ever since then, he’s been receiving a lot of attention from LSU.”

Fresina said Neal has tremendous athleticism and the instincts to be a top cover man.

“He’s real fast and he does a great job of breaking on the ball. He’s got nice closing speed,” he said. “If not for Jay and our other running back, Robert Johnson, he’d be our main ball-carrier. But we’re blessed to have those guys at running back, so it allows him to concentrate on being a corner. That’s his best spot.”

In addition to LSU, Neal is receiving interest from Florida State, Southern Miss, Indiana, Minnesota and the other area schools in Louisiana.

He’s expected to be a full-qualifier, carrying a 3.0 GPA and having scored a 20 on his ACT.