By Kyle Coppola
NFL Veteran Keanu Neal Announces Retirement After Eight Seasons
BUSHNELL, FL, – Former South Sumter High School standout and NFL veteran Keanu Neal has officially announced his retirement from professional football after an eight-year career. Neal, a first-round draft pick by the Atlanta Falcons in 2016, shared his decision in a heartfelt statement on social media.
“God has blessed my family and me in so many ways, particularly in the game of football. Twenty years ago, I started this journey. Today, I am retiring from the NFL. God’s timing is always the right timing,” Neal wrote. “I want to give a big thank you to the Atlanta Falcons for drafting me and giving me a chance to make an impact. To the Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Pittsburgh Steelers—thank you for allowing me to continue my career with you. All top-notch organizations. I am incredibly grateful for the coaches and teammates I had the privilege of working with along the way. Sumter County, South Sumter High School, South Sumter Wolfpack, University of Florida, my family and friends—THANK YOU! All the lessons learned through the game have helped mold me into who I am today.”
(Keanu Neal was drafted in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft.)
Neal, a native of Bushnell, Florida, made a name for himself at South Sumter High School, where he played as a linebacker before transitioning to safety. As a junior, he recorded 151 tackles, four interceptions—one of which he returned for a touchdown—four forced fumbles, five pass deflections, and an offensive touchdown as a goal-line fullback. His standout performances earned him All-Conference and All-State honors.
Matt Franklin, a former opponent, reflected on Neal’s dominance at the high school level. “Will never forget when he showed up to Mount Dora his senior year. Two ambulance trips later… and multiple red zone tackles, he beat us.”
Neal continued his football career at the University of Florida before entering the 2016 NFL Draft, where the Falcons selected him with the 17th overall pick. He quickly became a key piece in Atlanta’s defense, making an immediate impact as a hard-hitting safety.
During his rookie season, Neal helped lead the Falcons to Super Bowl LI, where they faced the New England Patriots. Despite Atlanta’s 34-28 overtime loss, Neal delivered an impressive performance, tallying 13 combined tackles in the game.
(Neal had a reputation for being one of the hardest hitting players in Sumter County. He was a force during his high school years which earned him a scholarship to University of Florida.)
Over the course of his career, Neal also played for the Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Pittsburgh Steelers, earning a reputation for his physicality and leadership on the field.
Neal leaves the game with a legacy of resilience, dedication, and passion. His retirement marks the end of an incredible football journey that began in Sumter County and took him to the highest levels of the sport. We are so grateful to have watched him play. He inspired so many young kids and that included one of the largest classes in South Sumter History this past year, headed to play football at the NCAA Divsion 1 level.
Congratulations on a spectacular career Keanu! We look forward to his next chapter.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
