Tuesday, September 30, 2025 | Football, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Whether he expected the question or not, Keanu Neal had the expected response when the subject turned to one of the most famous games in NFL history.
"Oh man, you had to ask, right?" Neal said. "Yeah, it was history … and we were on the wrong side of it."
Neal was an All-Rookie safety with the Atlanta Falcons during the 2016 season that ended with the franchise in the Super Bowl for just the second time. The Falcons had a 19-point fourth-quarter lead, but lost to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots 34-28 in overtime. Neal, the first-round draft pick from Florida, ended the game with a team-high 13 tackles.
Now retired, Neal hasn't been on a football field since stepping away from the game after the 2023 season. He played for four teams over eight seasons, but Saturday will return to his collegiate roots as honorary "Mr. Two Bits" when the Gators (1-3, 0-1) look to get back on track with their Southeastern Conference date against No. 9 Texas (3-1, 0-0) at Spurrier/Florida Field.
The game, in its own right, will be historic on a couple fronts, starting with a first home meeting against the Longhorns since 1940. The Gators, coming off a bye week, will be looking to avoid their first 1-4 start since 1986, as well.
"I'll try to get the energy going," Neal said. "We need some W's, for sure."
Keanu Neal, a 6-foot-1, 216-pound hammer in the second, amassed 146 tackles (79 total), four interceptions and returned a fumble for a touchdown over his 34 games (19 starts) with the Gators.
While in his three seasons at UF, the former Bushnell (Fla.) South Sumter standout experienced his share of W's, including 10 during his junior season when the Gators won the SEC East and reached the conference championship game for one of just three times since 2010. The 2015 squad, with Neal anchoring an outstanding secondary, was on its way to a special season – a 6-0 start and rise to No. 8 in the polls – when it was derailed by a season-ending suspension to quarterback Will Grier.
Florida lost its next game, at sixth-ranked LSU, reeled off four consecutive wins – and stood at 10-1 – before a three-game losing streak (Florida State, Alabama in the SEC title game, Michigan in the Citrus Bowl) wrapped the season.
NFL Draft night 2017.
Neal, who finished third on the team in tackles with a team-high 51 solos, entered the NFL draft, was taken 17th overall and started 49 of the 50 games he played in Atlanta – including a Pro Bowl invite in 2017 – over the next five seasons ('2016-20). He started 21 of 40 while in Dallas ('21), Tampa Bay ('22) and Pittsburgh ('23). His career NFL numbers show 532 tackles, four interceptions, eight passes defensed and eight forced fumbles.
And that notable Super Bowl appearance. Keanu Neal and family
(Wife Krizia, Keanu Jr. and Kai)
"I do think about, from time to time, especially when people ask about it," said Neal, now 30, married with a couple young kids and enjoying his early retirement with time alongside his family. "It's crazy how it all transpired. At the end of the day, not everyone can say they played in a Super Bowl. The experience was awesome, from media night and the week leading up to the game. It was all really unique. And the game, yeah, that was awesome to be a part of, too."
That's football, right? There are incredible highs and difficult lows.
Speaking of the latter, Neal was asked what he'd tell the 2025 Gators – currently mired in their three-game losing streak and staring down the barrel of a brutal rest-of-the-season schedule – with regard to their predicament.
"You have to stay resilient and handle the adversity correctly. It can't get the best of you," Neal said. "Things happen. Games don't go the way you want them to go. The biggest thing is showing who you are when times are tough. That's the resilience that is needed. Use it to grow and play the way the Gators are supposed to play; bully-ball on offense, swarming people on defense. Put it on tape. Don't be afraid to go all out."
Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu / Find his story archiveshere.
