Week Eleven's Overnight Sensation: Leon O'Neal, Safety

Early in the first half of the Georgia game, after Texas A&M sophomore safety Leon O'Neal made a play down at the line of scrimmage, the broadcast crew mentioned that A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko had highlighted his sophomore safety as one of the players the Aggies needed to have a big game between the hedges on Saturday afternoon.

Luckily for Elko and the Aggies, O'Neal delivered, earning him this week's Overnight Sensation honor.

Back in February of 2018, O'Neal became the subject of much hand-wringing among Aggies as the long-time Aggie commit was considering other options, including Clemson, Georgia and Alabama just days before National Signing Day. However, when pen hit paper, O'Neal signed with the Maroon & White to headline head coach Jimbo Fisher's first class in Aggieland.

Following National Signing Day that year, Billy Liucci raved about what the Aggies were getting in their late-class readdition: Leon is an impact defender and a potential game-changer in the secondary...just ask Jimbo Fisher, Dabo Swinney, Kirby Smart, Lincoln Riley and Nick Saban and they'll concur.

O'Neal was also selected as the biggest personality in the class by the TexAgs Recruiting team back in 2018. It's safe to say they got that one right.

Lia Musgrave, TexAgs

O’Neal, never shy about talking, also walked the walk against Georgia Saturday.

Since arriving, Leon has been boisterous on the backend both with his voice in helping coordinate the Aggie secondary, and his hard-hitting style of play. That style was also evident last week as the sophomore safety jarred the ball loose from a South Carolina pass-catcher on a would-be first down conversion.

Leon helped the Aggie defense stifle the Georgia Bulldogs offense throughout most of the day on Saturday, as A&M allowed just 260 yards of total offense and only 97 yards on the ground.

Now the Aggies' focus shifts to the 2019 regular-season finale against the No. 1 ranked LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge, the third No. 1 team in the country Texas A&M will face during Fisher's second season.

O'Neal and the Aggies will no doubt be fired up for the battle on the bayou on Saturday night.

O'Neal's stats against Georgia:
Tackles: 6

O'Neal's 2019 season stats:
Tackles: 36
Interceptions: 1
Pass deflections: 2

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