One of the greatest players in Texas State football history, Barrick Nealy was named the running backs coach in January 2024.
Nealy is a familiar name to Bobcat Nation as he led Texas State to the semifinals of the 2005 FCS/Division I-AA Playoffs and was named an All-American and a finalist for the Walter Payton Award that season. In one of the best seasons in the program’s history, Texas State finished 2005 season ranked No. 4 in the country.
Nealy, a dual-threat quarterback, remains among the program’s career leaders in several categories, including third in both passing yards and passing touchdowns.
Nealy returned to San Marcos – where he played collegiately and coached at the high school level – after six years at UTEP. He started out as the director of player development and high school relations in 2018 before being elevated to the recruiting coordinator/senior player personnel director in 2019. Starting in 2020, he was promoted to an on-the-field coaching role as the team’s running backs coach, which was a title he held for two seasons. In 2022 and 2023, he served as an assistant head coach/running backs coach while still maintaining the role of recruiting coordinator.
With the Miners, Nealy tutored three-time all-conference selection Deion Hankins and NFL signee Ronald Awatt during his four years as the team’s running backs coach. Hankins, who was a second team All-Conference USA selection in 2022 and 2023 as well as an all-freshman honoree in 2020, totaled 2,604 rushing yards in his UTEP career, which finished as seventh-most in the program’s history. He was also sixth in UTEP’s history in career rushing touchdowns with 23. Awatt, who signed with the San Francisco 49ers after the 2023 NFL Draft, had 1,781 career rushing yards, including a career-best 844 in 2021.
Over the course of his tenure, Nealy improved the rushing offense’s conference ranking each year as Hankins and Awatt developed. In 2022, the Miners were fifth in CUSA – and 54th in the country – in rushing offense while in 2023, UTEP was third in the conference in rushing offense. The 2023 output was powered by Hankins, who finished fourth in CUSA in rushing yards.
Nealy also helped the Miners reach the 2021 New Mexico Bowl, the program’s first bowl game since 2014.
Nealy’s coaching career began in 2011 at San Marcos Academy where he served as the quarterbacks and wide receivers coach for two seasons before becoming the offensive coordinator from 2013-17. He helped lead the team to a 2015 TCAL state championship.
As a Bobcat from 2003 to 2005, Nealy established himself as one of the program’s most prolific quarterbacks. His run piloting the Bobcat offense culminated with the conference championship season in 2005 when he was named a second team All-American and Southland Conference Player of the Year as well as finished fifth in voting for the Walter Payton Award. He had 2,875 passing yards, 1,057 rushing yards, and 34 total touchdowns.
Nealy, who still owns seven school records and is top-10 in in 30 different categories for single-season and career program records, threw for 7,206 yards and 52 touchdowns as a Bobcat. The dual-threat quarterback had 8,933 total yards and 70 touchdowns.
Following his successful 2005 campaign, Nealy signed an undrafted free agent contract with the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings and was a wide receiver in 2006. Later that year, Nealy inked a contract with the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders, where he played quarterback for five seasons (2006-10). He was a member of the 2008 Grey Cup champions while with Calgary.
Nealy, originally from Dallas, earned his Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree from Texas State in 2017. He and his wife, Tiffany, have two sons, Sir Isaac and Isaiah, and a daughter, Sage.
Barrick Nealy Coaching Career
2024: Texas State – Running Backs
2022-2023: UTEP – Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs
2020-2021: UTEP – Running Backs/Recruiting Coordinator
2019: UTEP – Recruiting Coordinator/Senior Player Personnel Director
2018: UTEP – Director of Player Development & High School Relations
2011-2017: San Marcos Academy HS
