Texas A&M fans looking to see the crown jewel of Jimbo Fisher‘s second recruiting class in College Station on the field will have to wait a little longer because of an issue off of it.
By way of the Houston Chronicle‘s Brent Zwerneman, Fisher has confirmed that DeMarvin Neal will be sidelined for the whole of spring practice after recently undergoing a surgical procedure for what was described as a minor cartilage tear in one of his knees. The good news is that, barring unforeseen complications, the highly-touted defensive lineman will be a healthy go for the start of summer camp in early August.
“He has a very slight tear in his cartilage, but they can sew it,” the head coach explained to Zwerneman. “By sewing it, they keep you out longer, but that way you don’t ever lose the cartilage. ...
“If they had clipped it, he would have been back in two weeks. But we elected to sew it, and he’ll be fine.”
Leal was a consensus five-star 2019 recruit, rated as the No. 2 defensive tackle in the country; the No. 2 player at any position in the state of Texas; and the No. 16 player overall on 247Sports.com‘s composite board. The 6-4, 285-pound lineman was the highest-rated signee in an A&M class that was ranked fourth nationally.
As noted by Zwerneman, Leal is expected to make an immediate contribution as a true freshman as part of the Aggies’ line rotation.
