Countdown to 2020 IUFB Kickoff: Seven Days (Lem Watley-Neely)

Written by: Amanda Pavelka (@amandapavelka3)

The day we have all been anxiously awaiting has almost arrived. Exactly a week from today, we will get our first look at the 2020 IU football squad as they take on Penn State. Kickoff is set for 3:30ET at a fan-less Memorial Stadium. For today’s countdown feature, I would like to introduce to you a new face on the IU sideline this fall— Lem Watley-Neely.

Name – Lem Watley-Neely

Position – Defensive Back (Freshman)

Hometown – Harper Woods, Michigan (Harper Woods HS)

Height – 6’0”

Weight – 175 pounds

Lem Watley-Neely turned down several offers, including from the close-to-home elite football program of Michigan State, and made an early commitment to Indiana in June of 2019. This was shortly after wrapping up his junior season at Martin Luther King High School, where he played with Rashawn Williams, who he reunites with at IU.

Watley-Neely brings to Bloomington high speed and versatility as he is experienced at both wide receiver and cornerback. He played snaps at 13 different positions as a senior at Harper Woods High School, and had one heck of a final season stat line that reads: 41 tackles, six for loss, three interceptions, 13 passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns and 779 rushing yards with seven touchdowns. It’s no surprise he was the No. 24 prospect in Michigan (ESPN).

“Lem Watley-Neely is another one,” Tom Allen said. “He played both sides of the football in high school. We recruited him as a defensive back and I think he’s got a lot of potential.”

With Tiawan Mullen, Reese Taylor, Jaylin Williams, Larry Tracy, and Josh Sanguinetti returning to the IU cornerback group, Watley-Neely joins fellow freshman Christopher Keys as a guy with a chance to make the rotation in 2020 that will get a opportunity to make an impact on special teams.