Kickoff 2023: Bryce Neves adjusts to new role with Abilene High football team

Making the jump to varsity can be intimidating. Doing it while changing positions can be even tougher.

Just ask Bryce Neves.

The Abilene High coaching staff decided to move Neves from outside linebacker to inside linebacker during spring ball his sophomore year — all with an eye on him competing for a starting job his first season with the varsity the following fall last year.

It might not sound like a big move, but it was.

“If you know football, it’s a big change,” Neves said. “You’re going against a tackle or a tight end (at outside linebacker), then (at inside linebacker) you’re going against the big boys — the center and the guards. The heavier people and you’re in the contact every play and you’re in every play. They can’t run away from you.”

Nor can a defender run away from his responsibilities. Neves knew the AHS coaching staff was asking a lot from him on his first season with the varsity.

“I worried through all spring ball and all the summer and all of everything,” said Neves, who nevertheless won a starting job.

He carried that doubt onto the field with him in the Eagles’ season opener last year against Odessa Permian — before the home crowd at Shotwell Stadium no less.

“First game, I was scared,” Neves said. “We were playing Permian, and they had some big recruits on the O-line. The first play, I was like, ‘Can I really do this?’ Then the second play and third play. Then the fourth play I was like, ‘Oh, I can do this,’” Neves said.

Neves ended up being a second-team All-District 2-5A Division I selection. He had 90 tackles, including 53 solo, 13 for loss and three sacks. He forced a fumble and recovered two fumbles.

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“At first, I didn’t trust my coaches,” Neves said. “I felt I would be better at outside linebacker, but they knew what was right for me and they put me in a position to succeed.”

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Always a firm believer

Abilene High coach Mike Fullen was caught off guard when he heard Neves was scared about the move — something he didn’t know about until being interviewed for this story.

“I hate to say the words scared to death, because when I think of Bryce Neves, I don’t think he’s scared of anything,” Fullen said. “But I think he was surprised at what he could do.”

Fullen and his staff knew the 6-foot-1, 177-pound Neves could handle the new role — a move necessitated by the team’s need at inside linebacker while having plenty of talented outside linebackers.

“We knew he had the capability to be a good player, and we needed to get him on the field,” Fullen said.

Fullen thinks it was the extra responsibilities that come with the inside linebacker job that worried Neves — not his ability to physically handle the position.

“There’s a lot that goes into inside backer play for us,” Fullen said. “They set the defense. They make a lot of communication calls. There’s a lot of thinking about it. It’s a real cerebral position for us. That more than anything can be intimidating about playing inside backer in our defense. It’s almost like playing quarterback on offense for us.”

It helped that Andres Abril, a senior with more experience, handled most of the play-calling on defense last year.

“It took some pressure off Bryce to where he could just go in there and be the athlete that he is,” Fullen said. “He runs really well. He can just make a lot of plays because of the way he’s built. He’s long and athletic. That’s a big position for us.”

No more worries for Neves

A year later, Neves goes into the season confident in his ability to not only do the job but do it even better.

“I can always see it in practices,” Neves said. “I see a guard pulling, and I’m already there. Everything is moving slower, and my mind reads everything so much faster.”

Fullen, who watched Neves steadily progress last year, has seen him bloom into a confident, steady contributor to the Eagles’ vaunted defense — someone who’s earned the right to wear the coveted Blackshirt.

“That’s the biggest thing that you can see from the end of last year through the spring — the confidence that he plays with,” Fullen said. “He knows what we do.”

And Fullen has no qualms about asking Neves to play other positions, too, if needed.

“We can move him to a lot of different positions,” Fullen said “He can play safety for us. There’s a lot of things built into our packages defensively where he can be utilized, and that’s just because he’s a gifted athlete and one tough sucker.”

Neves can laugh about his lack of faith in himself going into last season now, and he’s thankful his team never wavered in its faith in him.

“No, I didn’t think I could do it at all, but my teammates and coaches trusted me,” Neves said. “That’s why I succeeded.”

Abilene High Eagles

District: 2-5A Division I

2022 Record: 6-7, 3-3 (lost to Burleson Centennial 24-14 in third round)

Head coach: Mike Fullen (22-23 in four seasons, all at AHS)

Top returners

Brayden Henry, QB, So.; Brelon Badon, WR, Sr.; Antoine “Bam” Rashaw, RB, Sr.; Shetonde Polepole, OL, Jr.; Jackson Howle, WR, Sr.; Chad Lara, RB/LB, Sr.; Trey Simpson, TE/DE, Sr.; Bryce Neves, LB, Sr.; Anthony Hernandez, DL, Sr.; Luke Fisher, DE, Sr.; Beckham Paul, DB, Sr.

What to know for 2023: The Eagles return 35 lettermen, including eight starters on offense and four on defense. While AHS lost a lot of talent on defense, the Eagles seem to reload defensively every year. If the offense, which struggled last year, can come around, AHS will be tough to beat. Rashaw (205-1,060 yards, 13 TDs rushing) and Henry (66-435, 4 TDs rushing in seven games) should make for a potent 1-2 punch in the run game. Texas Football magazine pegged Paul as the district’s preseason defensive MVP.

2023 Schedule

Aug. 25 … at Odessa Permian … 7 p.m.

Sept. 1 … at Abilene Cooper … 7 p.m.

Sept. 8 … Midland Legacy … 7 p.m.

Sept. 15 … at Wolfforth Frenship … 7 p.m.

Sept. 22 … at Lubbock Monterey* … 7 p.m.

Sept. 29 … Amarillo Tascosa* … 7 p.m.

Oct. 6 … at Amarillo Caprock* … 7 p.m.

Oct. 13 … Lubbock-Cooper* … 7 p.m.

Oct. 20 … at Lubbock Coronado* … 7 p.m.

Oct. 27 … Amarillo High* … 7 p.m.

*District game

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Bryce Neves soars in new role with Abilene High football team