CINCINNATI — Gabe Nealy never had a nickname growing up. But by the time the Florida native got to high school — gossamer-thin at 6-foot-4, 175 pounds, with spindly arms and legs — it became too obvious.
“Everybody was like, ‘Boy, you look like a spider,’” Nealy chuckled.
Mainly a receiver in youth football, Nealy moved to defensive back when he arrived at Gulliver Prep, his unique combination of size and range on the outside making him a problem for opposing offenses. The 2021 prospect earned Miami Herald All-Dade 5A-2A second-team honors as a junior in 2019, embracing his new identity in the process.
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“The nickname got shortened to ‘Spida,’ and my alter-ego became Venom on the field, that dark side,” said Nealy, referencing the Marvel character. “It just came to be like that, so I’m going with it and making it my own.”
He caught the eye of a number of college football coaching staffs, the Cincinnati Bearcats included, with a skill set and assertiveness not unlike another young, confident, lanky defensive back.
“The way Ahmad Gardner came into Cincinnati and became a freshman All-American, that just tells you the type of coaching staff they have over there,” Nealy said.
Sauce and Spida. Has a nice ring to it.
Though for a while, it didn’t look destined to happen. Despite the Bearcats recruiting Nealy for their 2021 class during his junior season of high school, the three-star prospect committed to Michigan State on April 11, one of the first pledges under new head coach Mel Tucker. Then about six weeks later, on May 25, he suddenly and somewhat surprisingly de-committed, re-opening his recruitment.
“It was a failure on my end. I just felt like I didn’t look at the right things, as a player and a student. I have to do what’s best for me, and I failed to do my own homework on Michigan State,” Nealy said of the decision. “It’s a life lesson, we live and we learn. I moved too fast on Michigan State. I bought into what I was hearing and the pitches they were giving, knowing that every school was going to do that, pitch their school the best they can. That was a mistake on my end. I’m not saying Michigan State is a bad school — it has great coaches and everything — but I have to find the best fit and make the best move for me. That wasn’t it.”
He heard from at least 10 different programs on the day he de-committed. But the Bearcats had always remained near the top of his list, largely due to the relationship he had developed with defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman and new defensive backs coach Perry Eliano. Even head coach Luke Fickell has gone out of his way to make a connection.
“I get FaceTime calls from Coach Freeman, if not every day then every other day. And then calls, texts and FaceTimes from Coach Eliano as well,” he said. “But what really surprised me is that some head coaches, they don’t like to be involved in the recruitment and everything, but Coach Fickell, he wants to be in there, talk to you, get to know you. That’s great.”
B L A C K C A T S🐾🔥😤#CinCityPride pic.twitter.com/V6lZq1jtK4
— Gabe “Spida” Nealy🕷 (@GabeNealy1) May 27, 2020
Cincinnati’s recruiting boon under Fickell has continued this offseason, seemingly unabated in the midst of a pandemic shutdown. The Bearcats have 16 committed to the 2021 class, good enough for what is currently the 25th-rated recruiting class according to 247 Sports and tops among Group of Five programs. Not surprisingly, Fickell remaining at UC has played a massive role in that success, a prevalent and recurring theme among both 2020 and 2021 prospects. And though Nealy’s recruitment remains open, he’s similarly taken note.
“What was crazy to me, I know Coach Fickell was in consideration for that Michigan State job, and I know Coach Freeman got job offers everywhere, including Michigan State too. They got job offers to go all over the place, and the fact that they decided that they were going to stay at Cincinnati and believe they are building something there and can win championships there, it shows the character they have,” Nealy said. “This is a team that is a top-ranked defense, top-ranked school. And I think if it wasn’t for the conference they were in, they would be in the College Football Playoff every single year. That’s just how I feel about it. I think they have something going with Coach Fickell.”
Part of that something is a defense that puts an onus on a stifling, swarming secondary and a best-player-on-the-field mentality, highlighted by Gardner’s swift, route-jumping jolt up the depth chart last season. Nealy said the Bearcats view him as a potential complement to Gardner at the opposite cornerback position and pointed out how quickly the UC strength staff was able to put some meat on his bones. That’s the type of pitch that sells itself in today’s recruiting.
“The strength and conditioning coach, they turned him out. He was this really slim guy walking in, but looking at him now he’s got something on him,” Nealy said of Gardner. “Getting there, having me and Ahmad on the outside, that could be a scary sight.”
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And yet another tonic in what is already well on its way to being a stellar 2021 class. Nealy hopes to announce a commitment date soon. He’s still considering UCF, South Florida, Navy and Nebraska, but said he “fell in love” with UC’s campus after a recent virtual tour, and doesn’t seem beholden to any power conference or in-state persuasions.
“For any Florida guy, it’s important to stay home. It’s a factor for me, but at the end of the day, I won’t make that the biggest factor in my future,” Nealy said. “If I can put myself in a better position out of state, then that’s what I’m going to do.”
Additional news, notes and observations
Recruiting update
In addition to Nealy, the Bearcats still have work left for 2021, but the number of open spots is dwindling. The only true remaining need on offense is at tight end, though Caleb Schmitz, who committed as a 2021 athlete out of Pennsylvania in late May, will probably start out at that position. The focus otherwise is likely on landing a few more on the defensive line and in the secondary, while still leaving some flexibility for next winter and spring.
Men’s basketball gauntlet continues
I wrote last week about the imposing non-conference schedule head coach John Brannen has cooked up for a second straight season, and the reasoning behind his recipe. The quest continued on Tuesday, with sources telling The Athleticthat the Bearcats will host Furman in a guarantee game on Dec. 15. It’s the first of what is likely to be five guarantee games and pits UC against a program that finished last season 25-7 (second in SoCon), 74 in NET, 81 in KenPom and is slated to return four starters.
Noah Gurley is the top returning scorer for the Furman Paladins, who will come to Fifth Third Arena in December. (John Reed / USA Today)
Here’s what the non-conference calendar looks like at the moment:
11/13: Louisville
11/19: @ Northern Kentucky
11/25-11/27: Preseason NIT in New York City
12/12: @ Tennessee
12/15: Furman
12/19: @ Georgia
12/22: Richmond
TBA: Xavier
UniWatch
If social media is to be believed (which, lol), the Bearcats had a few number changes. By the looks of it, Jeremiah Davenport is switching to No. 24, Mika Adams-Woods is switching to No. 23 and Zach Harvey is switching to No. 1. None of these have been officially announced by the team.
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Baseball stadium discussion
The naming rights to UC’s Marge Schott Stadium came under heavy public scrutiny last week. Current UC pitcher Nathan Moore posted a Twitter message expressing disappointment after he learned the baseball facility, named for the former controversial Reds owner, honored “an individual who was openly racist.”
The post and its sentiment, which was endorsed by former Bearcats greats and major leaguers Kevin Youkilis and Josh Harrison, also raised awareness for an online petition started by former Bearcats baseball player Jordan Ramey to change the name of the stadium.
Our own Mo Egger penned a great column on The Athletic mulling the true crux of the matter: the money involved.
“There should be nothing on UC’s campus that places her legacy in any kind of positive light,” Egger wrote. “Keeping her name on the stadium sends a clear signal that someone’s legacy can be defined by dollars instead of being crafted by character.”
Youkilis also came on the BCJ Podcast — which I guest-hosted with BearcatJournal’s Chad Brendel — to discuss his thoughts, including the story behind why he didn’t want his family name commemorated alongside Schott’s when the university approached him about entitling the stadium field in his honor a few years ago.
“For me, I just think that people need to understand, is it that big of a deal to keep that name up there? More than the overall brand of what UC represents as a whole?” Youkilis said on the podcast. “To me, it’s an easy fix.”
The Schott Foundation, the Bearcats’ athletic department and the University of Cincinnati have all released statements addressing the issue, with the university noting the board of trustees will address it at the next meeting on June 23.
I’ll write more on all of this in the coming days as well. And thanks again to Brendel for having me on the BCJ Podcast to talk with Youkilis.
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ICYMI
For UC basketball assistant Jayson Gee, his faith has been at the core of his 31-year college coaching career. I talked to former player Trevon Scott, recent transfers Rapolas Ivanauskas and David DeJulius and Gee himself about the higher calling that drives him, and the impact it’s had on Brannen and Bearcats basketball.
(Top photo: Courtesy of Cincinnati Bearcats Athletics)
Justin Williams covers college football and basketball for The Athletic. He was previously a beat reporter covering the Cincinnati Bearcats, and prior to that he worked as a senior editor for Cincinnati Magazine. Follow Justin on Twitter/X @williams_justin Follow Justin on Twitter @williams_justin
