PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Once again Charlie Partridge strikes gold. The Pitt assistant head coach and defensive line coach is the reason the Panthers not only landed a four-star player but what appears to be a four-star human named Ghost.
Isaiah 'Ghost' Neal had many options of where he wanted to go to college but loved his visit to Pitt. To be sure it was the right place he asked his best friend's brother, Jaylen Twyman, about what it was like to play for Partridge. The response was all positive and Neal decided he would be part of the continuing wave of talent on the Panthers defensive line.
"His name speaks volumes, he has (NFL) products time and time again," Neal said. "He knows what he is doing. Him being who he is and having as much a role as he does at Pitt being an assistant head coach was huge for me."
As if he needed another voice, on his tour he was hosted by All-American Calijah Kancey. He loved how Kancey was just a regular guy, that you would not know the accolades surrounding his name because of how he acted. In a way that reflects his coaching and the Partridge effect which not only includes Kancey, but All-Americans Patrick Jones and Rashad Weaver and all-ACC players like Twyman, Deslin Alexandre, Haba Baldonado and others.
"Growing up with only a single mom, trust is huge," Neal said. "There's not too many people outside of my mom I have trust for, it's hard to gain it. When I came on my official visit and seen how much these people actually bonded. It was a trust factor. There is an understanding among the players. I need to feel that the people around me truly want my best interest."
After being here for a month and a half, he believes that trust is warranted. He loves his teammates, believes they have a great freshman class not just him as the highest ranked player of the group. And he wants to lead it. He's already started to during off-season conditioning.
"It's natural," Neal said. "I want to lead. Football has built that into me throughout my whole life. I've been a captain since I was nine. I was nine-years-old being a leader of little boys, now I want to become a leader of men-not just in football, but in life."
"It's a big part of how I was raised. I had a single-mom. I didn't have any older brother or sister to look up to as my leader. So a lot of times when I go into stuff, I'm thinkin' I have to be the leader or no one else will. That's the mindset I have."
"That's a big credit to my mom. She raised me to be pretty well spoken, trustworthy and a hard worker. All of that is credited towards my mom."
Whenever football is over for Ghost, he sees himself ideally as a 'social worker for sports'. Doing whatever he can to help those who play games be leaders themselves.
It was a remarkable 17-minute news conference with Neal. Listening to him it was easy to forget is he a teenager should be a senior in high school but has enrolled early at the University of Pittsburgh to get an edge on being as good as he can be.
He's also prefers you call him Ghost.
It took a few years to embrace it after he was first called that upon joining a new Little League team in sixth grade. He said he was the only light skin kid on a team filled of kids that were darker. So it looked like he had a white sheet over him, like a ghost.
While most ghosts are equated with fear, or at least mischief. This one seems destined to haunt only defenses while showing why Partridge is so valuable to the Pitt program.
