Iowa State football's James Neal ready to reclaim starting role on Cyclones offensive line

AMES — Jalen Travis was around for only one season with the Iowa State football team, but he made an immediate impact when he arrived from Princeton. An injury delayed his Cyclones debut, but once he got healthy, his strength, skill and athleticism were on full display in the trenches.

While Travis was injured, James Neal started at left tackle. Upon Travis' return, Neal bounced over to guard and even had a stint at tight end before settling into more of a backup role. It was a different setting than what Neal had grown accustomed to, after being a full-time starter at left tackle in 2023.

"When you have the mentality, regardless of what happens — me personally, I'm a huge team guy," Neal said. "As long as we're able to win games, that's what I'm all about. Just being able to keep my head down, keep grinding, just don't give up, it'll all work out."

Travis was eventually drafted in April by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Meanwhile, Neal approached his final spring football camp with determination to reclaim his starting spot on the offensive line and protect quarterback Rocco Becht's blind side.

With approximately a week to go before the season kicks off on Aug. 23 in Dublin, Ireland, against rival Kansas State, it appears that Neal has put himself in position to accomplish those personal offseason goals.

"He's probably the most improved player on the team," Cyclones offensive line coach Ryan Clanton said. "He's had the most consistent camp. Last year, he played tackle, he played an extra tight end, he was shifting and motioning. He had a lot of stuff going on. This year, we've been able to focus him in and the game has drastically slowed down for him. He's probably the most athletic lineman that I've ever been able to coach and he's going to play a lot of football for a long time."

After starting every game in 2023, Neal made four starts at left tackle last season, then two more at guard before making a spot start at tight end.

Despite the position changes and diminishing role, Neal remained steadfast.

"Not one time did he come to my office and say, 'Man, coach, why is this going on?'" Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell said. "He never complained, never made an excuse — just tried to find ways to get better. I think James even learned a little bit from Jalen a year ago. Jalen had a little bit more experience. I think some of the wisdom that Jalen helped James have was awesome, and I think the product is you're getting, in my opinion, one of the best linemen I've seen that we've had and maybe since I've been here. He's had that good of a camp and so I'm really proud of him."

As much growth that the 6-foot-6, 325-pound Neal has shown this offseason, there's still plenty of room for him to evolve and level up.

He is a relative newcomer to the sport, compared to his Cyclone teammates. Neal was a basketball player growing up and didn't strap on a pair of shoulder pads until his final year of high school. He proved to be a natural, helping Grayson High School win the Georgia Class 7A state title.

After high school, Neal gave up those hardwood dreams and went the junior college route and played at Independence Community College in Kansas.

"We came in at the same time, so me going against James all four years has just been straight progression," Cyclones defensive lineman Domonique Orange said. "James has tremendously upgraded his game. The stuff that he's been able to do and the stuff we've been able to push each other to do has been incredible. I think he'll be one of the top tackles in the nation after this year."

As challenging as the 2024 season was, Neal made sure to learn a few things from Travis, incorporating his hyper-awareness for his surroundings and ability to make heads-up plays and blocks. He also made sure to hone in on his pass-protection skills and refine his run-blocking footwork.

While the Cyclones are still identifying interior offensive line starters and tinkering with lineups, they have two anchors at tackle to rely on with Neal and sixth-year senior Tyler Miller.

Neal doesn't plan on taking a backseat to anyone this year.

After all that occurred last season and lessons learned from past experiences playing football, Neal was asked recently to give a speech to his teammates as a senior.

"Just confidence, which is really fitting for me," Neal said of his speech's message. "Especially since it's my sixth year playing football (overall), not having it all figured out. You might not be the most confident, but as long as you keep working and grinding, you know that you're prepared for the moment and you can be confident."

Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State football's James Neal ready to reclaim starting role