Honors and Awards
» Three-Time Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll
» Brook Berringer Citizenship Team (2017, 2018)
» Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2017, 2018)
2019 (Senior)
DaiShon Neal, who played his senior season as a graduate student, played in all 12 games as a senior. He played on special teams in every game and also saw action on the defensive line against Northern Illinois, Ohio State and Maryland, recording his lone tackle of the season against the Huskies.
2018 (Junior)
Neal appeared on the defensive line in each of the first seven games before an injury forced him to miss the final five games. Neal totaled a career-high three tackles as a junior. All three of his tackles came in Big Ten play, as he tied his career high with two stops at No. 19 Michigan and added a tackle against Purdue the next week.
2017 (Sophomore)
Neal was a prominent special teams player and added depth on the defensive line while appearing in all 12 games as a sophomore in 2017. Neal recorded his lone tackle on the season from his defensive end spot in the Huskers’ 12-point fourth-quarter comeback victory at Purdue.
2016 (Redshirt Freshman)
Neal played in nine games, both on special teams and as a reserve end. Neal was on the Huskers' punt block team for the majority of the season. He had an assisted tackle at Northwestern and a solo stop at Ohio State.
2015 (Redshirt)
Neal sat out the season as a redshirt. He was sidelined for much of the season by a leg injury.
Before Nebraska (Omaha Central HS)
Neal spent two seasons at William B. Travis High School before moving to Omaha where he was one of the state’s top players for Coach Jay Ball. Neal was a four-year varsity performer in high school, as he enrolled at Omaha Central prior to his junior season. As a senior, Neal recorded 51 tackles, including 39 solo stops for the Eagles’ defense. He also had 13 tackles for loss, five sacks and six quarterback hurries. He caused one fumble, recovered another and blocked one kick.
Neal showed his versatility and athleticism against Class A state champion Omaha North when he lined up at tight end and caught two touchdown passes. His play helped the Eagles to a 7-4 record and a trip to the second round of the Class A state playoffs. Neal was a first-team All-Nebraska selection by the Omaha World-Herald and a Super State selection by the Lincoln Journal Star. He also earned All-Metro honors from the World-Herald.
Neal saw his first varsity action at Omaha Central in 2013 as a junior and quickly showed his raw talent and athleticism. His play helped the Eagles to a berth in the state playoffs. Neal was also a member of the Central basketball team that reached the state semifinals in 2014.
Neal was ranked as the top prospect in Nebraska by both Rivals.com and 247Sports, and both services listed him among the top 40 defensive ends in the nation. Neal chose Nebraska over Michigan and also visited Oklahoma, with offers from Oregon and Iowa among others.
Personal
The son of Abraham Hoskins Jr. and Denise Hoskins and DaLana Neal Guess and Lance Guess, DaiShon was born on Oct. 15, 1997. A criminology and criminal justice major, he has volunteered with the Nebraska Football Road Race and local hospital and school outreach events.