Lewis Neal (American football)


Lewis Matthew Neal is an American football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He played college football at LSU.

Early years

Neal attended James B. Hunt High School. As a senior he registered 68 tackles, eight sacks and one safety. He played offense and defense at the All-American Bowl where he was named Defensive MVP. He was rated as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com.
He accepted a football scholarship from Louisiana State University. He was a backup defensive end as a freshman, and was a backup at defensive tackle the following year.
As a junior, he became a starter at defensive end, leading the team with eight sacks, while collecting 48 tackles, eight quarterback hurries and six passes defensed. He had a dominant game against the University of Florida, posting three sacks, 10 tackles, three quarterback hurries and one pass deflected.
As a senior, he started at defensive end in the team's new 3-4 defense. He tallied 60 tackles, 3.5 sacks and three quarterback hurries. He made a career-high 11 tackles in a 10-0 loss against the University of Alabama. He was a part of a defense that allowed only 16 touchdowns, while ranking second in the Southeastern Conference in scoring and third in total defense.
Neal finished his college career playing in 47 games, recording 118 tackles, 12 sacks, 12 quarterback hurries, seven passes defensed, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.

Professional career

Neal was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys after the 2017 NFL Draft on May 12. He was waived on September 2, and was signed to the practice squad the next day. On November 8, he was promoted to the active roster to replace an injured Brian Price. Although he was considered undersized for the position, he was used as a backup defensive tackle in seven games.
On September 1, 2018, Neal was waived by the Cowboys.

Personal life

Neal is an entrepreneur, and owned a barber shop while in college. He is also a co-owner of a financial investment firm on the foreign exchange and of a cyber security company.