DeMarco McNeil is in his third season on the Hornets’ coaching staff after serving as a coaching intern at the
University
of Tennessee in 2011.
McNeil has been able to mold the Hornets defensive line into one of the top defensive fronts in the SWAC. In 2013 McNeil had molded a deep front four that played six players in all 12 games with one player playing in 11 games and another playing in nine.
That depth helped the Hornets maintain their freshness through each game which saw the Hornets front four constantly in the opponent’s backfield.
ASU’s defensive front finished last season with 72 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for a -193 yards. They also combined for 28 sacks (-190 yards), 10 pass break ups, 26 quarterback hurries, nine forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries.
He was an All-SEC defensive tackle at Auburn, where he was a four-year starter and was named to Auburn’s All-Decade team. McNeil was named Alabama’s Mr. Football coming out Mattie T. Blount High in Prichard, Ala.
Following his playing career at Auburn, McNeil spent two seasons as the defensive line coach at Birmingham Southern for two years (2009-10).
He entered the coaching ranks as a graduate assistant at Auburn (2007-08), where he was a dominant defensive player for the Tigers.
McNeil and his wife Lanicia have two daughters, Madison and Allison.
