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As first reported by HuskerOnline.com, senior safety Tre Neal announced on Friday that he will be transferring from UCF to Nebraska. Neal will enroll in grad school at Nebraska and be immediately eligible to play in 2018.
UCF will now look at Kyle Gibson and Richie Grant as possible starters at the safety positions with Nevelle Clark and Brandon Moore projected at the corners.
Neal will start at Nebraska, reuniting with head coach Scott Frost, defensive coordinator Erik Chinander and defensive back coach Travis Fisher.
"(Frost) built something special at UCF, and I was lucky enough to be a part of that,” Neal told HuskerOnline.com. “I love UCF, it is in good hands right now and is a top program in the country and needs to be treated as such. But I chose Frost because he instilled a confidence in the game I thought I lost. And I want to help him rebuild what he loves back in Lincoln.”
Neal took to social media to address his decision and thank UCF.
God Bless !!! #GBR #Huskers pic.twitter.com/5URpAMEOYk
— Tre Neal™ (@TreNeal_) July 20, 2018
Neal came to UCF from Buford High School outside of Atlanta. He was fourth on UCF's team last year with 68 total tackles, 41 of which were solo. Neal was to be UCF's second-leading tackler returning for the 2018 season.
Neal also had three interceptions last season, with his final pick possibly going down as the most significant in UCF Football history, clinching the American Athletic Conference Championship against Memphis in double overtime. It came in what turned out to be his last home game as a Knight:
While some fans expressed dismay over Neal transferring to play for the coaching staff that just left UCF en masse, some of his teammates took to his defense:
Not true don’t speak on what you don’t know !!!
— Kyle Gibson (@2livefive_) July 20, 2018
True to form, UCF wished Neal well on Twitter: