Tyler Neville

Last updated
Tyler Neville
Profile
Position Tight end
Personal information
Born (2001-03-01) March 1, 2001 (age 24)
Maryland, U.S.
Height6 ft 4 [1]  in (1.93 m)
Weight248 [1]  lb (112 kg)
Career information
High school Lafayette
(Williamsburg, Virginia)
College Harvard (2020–2023)
Virginia (2024)
Career history
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only

Tyler Neville (born March 1, 2001) is an American professional football tight end. He played college football for the Harvard Crimson and Virginia Cavaliers and was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2025.

Contents

Early life

Neville was born on March 1, 2001, in Maryland, the fourth of six children. He was born deaf and underwent surgery at age three which restored his hearing. However, in the next years he suffered from issues with his nose, throat and ears, requiring at least 20 further surgeries, including at least 12 operations on his ears, by the time he was 18. He took speech therapy and could fully hear and speak by fourth grade. [2]

Neville grew up playing sports and attended Lafayette High School in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he made the varsity basketball team as a freshman. However, he had difficulty breathing in practices and it was later discovered that he had sunken chest syndrome, a condition where his breastbone was placing pressure on his heart and lungs. [2] As a result, he had to have another surgery where a 13-inch metal bar was inserted into his chest. [3] He was told he would not be able to play football or lacrosse, but continued playing basketball while wearing an EvoShield chest protector. [2]

The following year, when he was age 15, Neville had more chest problems, which was discovered to be stage 2 hodgkin lymphoma. [2] He underwent chemotherapy for eight months before becoming cancer-free. [4] While undergoing chemotherapy, he still attended every basketball practice and played in every game. [5] He averaged 13.0 points and 8.0 rebounds while helping the team win its first Bay Rivers District championship that season. [5]

Neville still hoped to play football and lifted weights at home. However, shortly after being declared cancer-free, he suffered a fractured back while working out, needing spinal fusion surgery on his L4 and L5 vertebrae. After the surgery, he needed to re-learn how to walk. After recovering, he was able to have the metal bar in his chest removed as well, receiving clearance to play football as a junior. [2] Neville played tight end and caught 18 passes for 404 yards and five touchdowns, while in the next basketball season he posted a team-leading 18.6 points and 14.8 rebounds per game. [5] He then served as team captain in football as a senior and was named all-state. [1] [2] In basketball, he finished as a two-time all-state selection, three-time all-region selection and the district player of the year. [1] He committed to play college football for the Harvard Crimson. [5] He later founded the Tyler Neville Foundation in 2021 to help children with cancer. [6]

College career

Neville enrolled at Harvard in 2020, but the football season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He then played for the first time in 2021 and caught 12 passes for 113 yards. [7] In the 2022 season, he posted 26 receptions for 302 yards and four touchdowns while being named first-team All-Ivy League. [8] He then recorded 24 catches for 283 yards and four touchdowns in 2023 while helping Harvard to their first Ivy League championship since 2015. [9] Pro Football Focus (PFF) ranked him the fourth-best tight end at run blocking in the NCAA Division I for the 2023 season. [4] Neville was named first-team All-Ivy League a second time and finished his stint with the Crimson having recorded 62 receptions for 698 yards and eight touchdowns. [2]

Having another year of eligibility, Neville entered the NCAA transfer portal and transferred to the Virginia Cavaliers for his final season in 2024. With the Cavaliers, he started 12 games and totaled 37 receptions for 394 yards with two touchdowns. After the season, he was invited to the East–West Shrine Bowl. [2]

Professional career

After going unselected in the 2025 NFL draft, Neville signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent. [2] He was waived on August 25. [10]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Tyler Neville". Virginia Cavaliers.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Watkins, Calvin (June 26, 2025). "Cowboys rookie Tyler Neville's inspiring story is one of hope, overcoming stacked odds". The Dallas Morning News – via archive.today.
  3. ↑ O'Brien, Marty (August 15, 2019). "Lafayette's Tyler Neville fights cancer while continuing to play basketball for Rams". Daily Press – via archive.today.
  4. 1 2 Madia, Greg (December 15, 2023). "Virginia's relentless pursuit helped the Cavaliers land Harvard TE Tyler Neville". The Daily Progress – via archive.today.
  5. 1 2 3 4 O'Brien, Marty (July 31, 2019). "Lafayette's Tyler Neville overcame cancer, sunken chest syndrome. Now, he's committed to Harvard". Daily Press – via archive.today.
  6. ↑ O'Brien, Marty (November 17, 2023). "The NFL might be ahead, but Lafayette grad Tyler Neville will savor playing one final Harvard-Yale game first". The Virginian-Pilot – via archive.today.
  7. ↑ Tsakonas, Chris (November 30, 2023). "Rutgers offers Harvard grad transfer TE Tyler Neville". 247Sports .
  8. ↑ Herder, Sam (May 30, 2023). "2023 FCS Jersey Countdown: 88 — The Best Player Who Wears No. 88 Is Harvard's Tyler Neville". HERO Sports.
  9. ↑ Newton, Matt (December 11, 2023). "Virginia Lands Commitment From Harvard Transfer Tight End Tyler Neville". Sports Illustrated .
  10. ↑ Walker, Patrik (August 25, 2025). "2025 Roster Tracker: La'el Collins cut, more". DallasCowboys.com.
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