14 Days till Kickoff: Baylor’s #14s Devin Neal & Armani Winfield

Devin Neal is a junior safety from Lexington, Kentucky. Neal should have two years of eligibility remaining past this season, and Baylor’s website has him listed at 5-foot-11, 202 pounds. Our own Travis Roeder put in his insider notes that Neal is currently getting first-team reps and that he will most likely be one of Baylor’s starting safeties this fall.

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Neal is currently lined up as one of Baylor’s starting safeties.

The Kentucky native played in thirteen games in 2021 and totaled 22 tackles and a forced fumble. Neal set a career-high with six tackles in the blowout victory over Texas Southern. The following week, he recorded three tackles and a forced fumble against Kansas.

Neal played in all nine games as a true freshman in 2020 and tallied three tackles, two coming in the season opener against Kansas and one against Iowa State. 

At Frederick Douglass High School, Neal played both running back and safety and helped lead his team to a 14-1 record and a state championship appearance as a senior. He had 70 carries for 602 yards and nine touchdowns while racking up 79 tackles, 9.0 TFLs, and two interceptions on defense. He was a two-time All-District player and was runner-up for Kentucky Player of the Year. He was the ninth best player in Kentucky, according to 247. Despite a coaching change, Neal chose Baylor over Cincinnati in the class of 2020. 

Armani Winfield is a true freshman receiver from Lewisville, Texas. Baylor’s website has him listed at 6-foot-2, 203 pounds, and he should have three or four years of eligibility remaining, depending on if he redshirts this season.

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Winfield at the 2022 Green and Gold game. 

Our own Travis Roeder thinks the true freshman is someone to keep an eye on this fall, “Winfield is a near-guarantee to be in the wide receiver rotation, and it’s for several reasons. First, after the departures of their top three receivers from the 2021 team, Baylor’s wide receiver room is wide open. In conjunction with that, Winfield is unusually well prepared to play as a true freshman because his best skill is his preternatural route running ability. Furthermore, he’s very versatile, and in his 6-foot-2 frame, he profiles as an outside receiver who can also win out of the slot due to his great feet and game sense. Ultra smooth and skilled with great hands and good deep speed, Winfield will be an All-Big 12 guy before he leaves for the NFL.”

At Lewisville High School, Winfield totaled 66 receptions, 1,006 yards, and eight touchdowns as a senior. He was a unanimous First-Team All-District selection in back-to-back seasons and finished his high school career with 191 receptions for 2,678 yards and 26 touchdowns. Winfield was an Under Armour All-American, the No. 31 prospect in Texas, according to 247, and was a consensus four-star prospect in the class of 2022. He chose Dave Aranda and Baylor over a plethora of other P5 offers such as Alabama, Texas A&M, and Texas.