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The clock is ticking
Deadline approaches for junior running back to declare for draft


National Signing Day is still three weeks away, but there is a decision looming this week that will have a significant impact on the 2010 season for the SMU football team.

By the end of the day this Friday, underclassmen who plan to make themselves eligible for the NFL Draft in April have to file papers with the league to make their intentions known, nearly a month before recruits can ink their names on national letters-of-intent.

For the first time in about two decades, the deadline to declare for the NFL Draft affects the SMU Mustangs, as junior running back Shawnbrey McNeal decides whether to forego his senior season and go pro.

With less than 48 hours to go until the deadline to declare, McNeal said Wednesday he remains undecided about his future.

“I’ve been meeting every day with Coach (June) Jones,” McNeal said, “because this decision affects more than just me. It affects my mom, my son, my daughter and my teammates. I’ve got a lot to think about.”

McNeal said that at times during the process, he has leaned toward going pro, and toward staying. At the moment, he says he is no closer to making a decision than he was before the whole process started.

“My mind is going in circles right now,” he said.

McNeal said he has gotten feedback from a number of people, including Jones, family and friends, and said “everyone” wants him to return for his senior year.

“I’ve had all the positives and all of the negatives presented to me,” he said. “Pretty much everyone is pushing me to stay, because a degree from SMU weighs more in my future than chasing my dream right now.”

The reasons on either side are clear: should he move on, he will be in a position to help his mother, Mattie, as well as his two young children. If he stays, he’ll be able to pursue his degree, and play on a team that he says — despite losing a small-but-talented senior class that includes key players like wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, linebacker Chase Kennemer and center Mitch Enright — will be even better in 2010 than it was this season, when it qualified for a bowl game for the first time in 25 years.

“The money (that comes with playing professionally) is what I consider one of the accolades for doing a job,” McNeal said. “I don’t play football for accolades. I play because it’s a game I love. I have a passion for it.”

Since SMU destroyed Nevada Dec. 24 in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, McNeal has made a concerted effort to allow his body to heal. “It was a brutal season,” he said. “I took a couple of shots.” One of those “shots” included a sprained A.C. joint in his right shoulder, an injury that nagged him throughout the rest of the season.

But McNeal said that whenever he chooses to turn pro, he has no concerns about whether his body can survive the rigors of playing against the bigger, stronger athletes who earn their living playing the game.

“I’ll be bigger and stronger, too,” he said, adding that if he stays, he expects to be eligible and healthy enough to take part in spring practice.

McNeal said that even if he joins the seniors on the list of former players by testing the NFL waters, the 2010 Mustangs should be even better than in 2009. He points to players like linebackers Ja’Gared Davis and Taylor Reed, cornerback J.R. McConico and wide receivers Terrance Wilkerson, Aldrick Robinson and Cole Beasley as youngsters who will help fill the voids left by the outgoing seniors.

“And Kyle” Padron, McNeal said of the Mustangs’ quarterback who guided the Mustangs to their victory in Honolulu. “You’re going to see a lot more games from Kyle like he had in the bowl game. He comes from a high school where they know how to win. He loves being the quarterback. No matter the circumstances, he likes to have fun, but when it’s time to play, he’ll make plays.”

As for his own future, McNeal said he has no set timetable for when he’ll make his decision, and said it will be one based on information he receives from those around him.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I’ve got a couple more days to decide. I’m going to continue to talk to people like Coach Jones, and I’m going to make the best decision for me and for my family.”

stick around!

Good stuff — thanks for the update. I didn't realize the deadline was coming up so soon.
Hope McNeal does what's best for his family ... especially if it involves one more year on the Hilltop.

I hope he stays. One more year here and Shawnbrey will end up alot higher draft choice. He will have an awesome Senior season at SMU.

If he stays at SMU next year, chances are that he will be even more of a contributer and be able to really showcase himself for the NFL scouts.

I hope he stays. He is fun to watch. It's been a long time since we had such an awesome game breaker at RB. The last two I really remember who were in Shawnbrey's class were Rodnick Phillips and Donte Womack.

McNeal is better than Phillips was, and might be better than Womack was.
Phillips got a sniff from the Seahawks — hope McNeal enjoys even more success.
My guess is he goes — he has a family to take care of.
Either way: good luck, Shawnbrey!

The bottom line is that he will make some good/OK money in NFl for a few years. You never know, maybe 6 or 8.

But then what.

To stay and earn a degree would pay off more for his children and family in the long run.

Something to consider is his degree plan and will he finish that plan next year before the next NFL draft.

Hopes are for him to sit out spring and take 20 hours, take interum and summer school first term.

Are his grades sound?

Shawnbrey, if you read this, thanks for everything you have done for SMU. I hope you stay for your senior year and help cement the turnaround. I also agree with BUS on the value of education and the long-term view, but I understand that you have to do what's best for you.

Others, having closely followed this "will he or won't he" more times than I can count at Duke and UNC, any time the player in question says he is undecided, and that "everyone" around him thinks he should stay, then the player will almost certainly eventually announce that he is leaving. I hope Shawnbrey is the exception, but I don't count on it.

BUS wrote:The bottom line is that he will make some good/OK money in NFl for a few years. You never know, maybe 6 or 8.

But then what.

To stay and earn a degree would pay off more for his children and family in the long run.

Something to consider is his degree plan and will he finish that plan next year before the next NFL draft.

Hopes are for him to sit out spring and take 20 hours, take interum and summer school first term.

20 hours is ridiculously hard. I took 24 my senior semester (I graduated early) and had no social life whatsoever. And I'm good at it.

smu diamond m wrote:

BUS wrote:The bottom line is that he will make some good/OK money in NFl for a few years. You never know, maybe 6 or 8.

But then what.

To stay and earn a degree would pay off more for his children and family in the long run.

Something to consider is his degree plan and will he finish that plan next year before the next NFL draft.

Hopes are for him to sit out spring and take 20 hours, take interum and summer school first term.

20 hours is ridiculously hard. I took 24 my senior semester (I graduated early) and had no social life whatsoever. And I'm good at it.

You were an engineering student...you weren't supposed to have a social life.

The more difficult a task the greater the joy when that task is completed.

He CAN do it and have time with family... and yes not much else, but what a reward. An SMU degree and then the NFL draft.

Peace be with you always Shawnbrey.

I believe in reality the main reason a lot of us want him to stay is because we would have a better football for sure with him. That is selfish reasoning for fans but true IMO. He can come back and get his degree if he does not make it and SMU could pay for it as some other colleges do for palyers that don't make it when they enter the draft early. The NFL is going to smaller quicker back like Chris Johnson who is close to the same size as Shawnbrey. As Kyle Padron gets better the less running of the ball we will see as in the Hawaii Bowl. And I think Shawnbrey only had 63 yards rushing. If he either get hurt or does not get 1000 yards rushing his stock will drop anyway. If he comes back I hope has has an insurance policy. I wish him the best whatever he does.

He will not be rated high enough to get a deferred payment insurance policy and I doubt that he could pay for one out of his pocket with enough coverage to be worthwhile. If he comes back it should be to work torward a degree but more importantly to better his position for next year's draft.

No matter what he does, I truly hope it works out for him because he was a major reason for what we accomplished this year. I do believe we will do fine without him but selfishly I would like to watch him run in an SMU uniform one more year.