BILLINGS — Durron Neal runs drills at Rocky Mountain College with the energy and athleticism of someone who never left the field — because in many ways, he never did.
The former University of Oklahoma wide receiver is now channeling that energy as the receivers coach for Rocky Mountain College.
“I always try to sprinkle in a couple stories,” Neal told MTN Sports before a recent practice.
WATCH the video:
He caught touchdown passes from Baker Mayfield at Oklahoma and was part of a roster that included a wealth of NFL talent.
"Playing with Baker, playing with Sterling Shepherd — he's my best friend — playing with Dede Westbrook, Mark Andrews, Joe Mixon. Those guys were great, but Baker ... he would challenge us like, 'Let's go out here and score in four plays. I don't want to be on the field that long,'" Neal recalled.
NAIA Rocky opens the regular season Thursday at 6:30 p.m. on a neutral field in Glendive against NCAA Division II Mary (N.D.).
After his OU days, Neal spent time with the Denver Broncos before coaching stops at Purdue and Colorado State. Now he leads his own receivers room at Rocky, a role head coach Randy Bandelow said he has earned.
"And the cool thing is, he's moving up the ladder in terms of responsibility in the football program and he is extremely deserving of that opportunity," Bandelow said.
Neal is all in.
"I've been prepping myself for this moment and tell my guys, you're getting the best version of myself coming in and I'm ready for it,” he said.
Not surprisingly, his resume made a quick impression on players, including safety Miles Wells.
"First practice when he got here, we threw his highlights up on there. He comes in and he's like, what are you guys doing?" Wells said with a laugh.
Receiver Tyler Abbott chipped in as an understudy of Neal's background.
"(We're) learning from a guy who's been in every position, every situation, just giving us the ropes," Abbott said.
Wells was asked how he would have attempted to lock down Neal in his prime, say, during the 2015 season when OU won the Big 12 championship and played in the College Football Playoff.
"Oh man, I would've brought two people up. I would've had me and (fellow defensive back) Sean Tutty above me and bracket him, and … let's see how long we could do that for, right?" Wells pondered with another laugh.
As for Neal, when asked if he could’ve found Montana on a map before earning Rocky’s job, he confessed with a smile.
"No, I couldn't, I couldn't. I promise you, me and my wife joke about this all the time that Montana was never on our bingo board.”
Montana is on his board now and Rocky may prove to be a winning number in Neal’s coaching climb.
