Connor Brewer and Davonte Neal: Top 50 football recruits in 50 days

Quarterback Connor Brewer formed his bond with Davonte Neal years before the two teamed up to lead Chaparral to a state title.

Photo by James Conrad

Editor's note: Original run date May 1. Updated Aug. 17.

Connor Brewer and Davonte Neal were an instant hit.

In the opening game of the 2010 football season, Brewer threw a deep ball to Neal down the left seam. The standout wide receiver bounced off a defender near the 30-yard line, put his right hand on the turf to avoid going down, regained his balance and sprinted the rest of the way for a 55-yard touchdown, picking up a great block from teammate Alex Holmes along the way.

It was the first pass Neal caught at Chaparral (Scottsdale, Ariz.).

"I knew right then and there it was going to be a special year when they did that," Chaparral coach Charlie Ragle said. "It was kind of like a movie teaser, just getting ready for the main show because I knew there was going to be a lot more where that came from."

Brewer and Neal developed into one of the most explosive prep quarterback-receiver combinations in the country last season, leading the Firebirds to their second straight Arizona Interscholastic Association Class 5A Division II state title as juniors.

Now as seniors, they undoubtedly make up the most lethal pass-catch duo in the nation.

Heading into Saturday's national showdown with Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), the 5-foot-10, 178-pound Neal is ranked No. 25 in Tom Lemming's Top 100 for the Class of 2012 and the Texas-bound Brewer is No. 28. Gorman comes in No. 10 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 national rankings while Chaparral is No. 24.

"Explosive, confident and productive," is how Lemming described the uncommitted Neal. "A big name in Phoenix over the past three years, he shows the ability to play running back, wide receiver, defensive back and return kicks at the next level.

"(Brewer) is impressive in all facets: accuracy, command, coolness under pressure and the ability the thread the needle."

Though last season was the first year the duo had hooked up in high school, Brewer has been throwing passes to Neal for years.

The two met at a football camp as seventh graders, according to Neal, and he quickly realized he had something in common with the strong-armed kid playing quarterback.

"His attitude for the game was different than all the other kids. He was more serious than playing around," Neal said.

Brewer wanted to get faster and he started working out as a middle-schooler with Davonte's father, Luke, who runs a private personal-training business that works primarily with NFL players and draft prospects. And, naturally, they're going to throw the football around during the weekend, right?

"Obviously he's been known throughout the state for a long time for being the athlete that he is," Brewer said of Neal, who was the top sprinter in the U.S. as an eighth-grader and became a national sensation in recruiting circles when he was offered a football scholarship to Arizona State and Boston College as a freshman. "He's so elusive. With all the moves he's acquired, he can make anybody miss at any time."

Yet, the duo began their high school careers at different schools as Neal immediately starred on the varsity team at Chavez (Laveen, Ariz.) and Brewer led the Chaparral freshman squad to an undefeated season. Brewer then guided the Firebirds to their first state title since 2002 as a sophomore while the football program at Cesar Chavez became embroiled in controversy.

So when Cesar Chavez was put on probation by the AIA for a recruiting violation in October 2009 and Neal decided to transfer, he couldn't help but think of Brewer.

"I wanted to go with somebody that I was familiar with, somebody that I was good friends with," Neal said. "He puts it where you need to be at. That's what I like about Connor. He makes you go get the ball. ... He obviously is the heart and soul of the team. He's a great athlete and kid. He makes my job a lot easier."

Added Brewer: "It was a blessing for me to have a receiver and an athlete like him catching and doing everything for our team, so that really helped me a lot. ... He's a great teammate and a great person. He makes my job way easier. He can turn those little short passes into long touchdowns."

Brewer and Neal hooked up for their signature play on Chaparral's third possession of the season and showed why they were regarded as two of the top junior prospects in the country throughout the season. Brewer, a 6-foot-2, 185-pounder, threw for 2,677 yards with 37 touchdowns and just six interceptions, while Neal put up video game statistics: 37 receptions for 904 yards, 551 yards rushing with a 9.3-yard average, five interceptions and 29 total touchdowns.

"Davonte has an insatiable appetite to compete," Ragle said. "It doesn't matter what Davonte is doing, he wants to win.

"Connor is the ultimate pro. He's very mature for his age and he's a winner. He carries himself that way. And when you have those two, you have a combination that ... you'll never see again as a high school coach."

Neal has been offered by more than 30 Football Bowl Subdivision schools, but said he will not focus on recruiting until after his senior season.

"I'm just enjoying high school," Neal said. "I'm not really thinking about that right now."

Ragle believes Neal's college choice will be at least partially based on whether his long-term future is as a slot receiver or in the defensive secondary.

"Any time you're the kind of caliber of high school player that he is, you've got to take a look at where you're going to school and beyond that," said Ragle, a former graduate assistant at Arizona State who is set to begin his fifth year at Chaparral. "If I'm Davonte and choosing between receiver and corner, I've got to look long-term and weigh my options there."

After watching Neal turn three short passes in a scrimmage last week into touchdowns of 50, 55 and 60 yards, Ragle called Neal "the best player I've ever coached. Beyond all his talent, he's just a great kid and unbelievable worker."

Neal and Brewer will no doubt be tested Saturday at Phoenix Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals and the 2010 Super Bowl, by a Gorman team that returns 10 starters on offense and six on defense to a team that went 13-2 and won its third state large-school title in four years.

Gorman has upwards of a dozen Division I players on its squad, including senior running back Shaq Powell, who has accounted for 49 touchdowns the last two seasons and mammoth senior offensive linemen Ronnie Stanley (6-6, 280) and Ron Scoggins (6-4, 300).

"The first impression I have of them is that they are big and physical and they're well-coached," Brewer said.

Said Neal: "They're just another football team. We'll go out against all their schemes and just do what we try to do. I have no fear of them."

Said Ragle: "For those bragging rights and things in-state, we know we've got to go out and win that game because we can't say anything if we don't. Here our goal is to win state championships, but also one of the things in coming and taking over this program is we wanted to elevate ourselves to a nationally recognized program. If you go and beat a Bishop Gorman, that will impact your stock and I think they're saying the same thing."

Senior writer Mitch Stephens contributed to this report.