The unfortunate side effects to having great players in the IFL: Competing professional football leagues could β and often do β poach them at a momentβs notice.
The Tucson Sugar Skulls, riding a three-game winning streak and fresh off the franchiseβs first win over the Arizona Rattlers, are the latest victims.
Sugar Skulls quarterback Daquan Neal, who leads the IFL in passing yards (1,021) and touchdowns (26), will miss Saturdayβs game against the Northern Arizona Wranglers in Prescott so he can attend a two-day tryout with the Indianapolis Colts.
Neal was stellar last weekend, completing 12 of 15 passes for 152 yards and five touchdowns and rushing for two scores in a win over the then-undefeated Rattlers. On Tuesday, Sugar Skulls coach and general manager Dixie Wooten received a phone call from Colts director of pro scouting Jonathan Shaw inquiring about Neal.
βI got the call one minute, then sent in the paperwork in 22 seconds, so (Neal) could get his (butt) up outta here and go try out for the Colts,β Wooten said.
With Neal out, the Sugar Skulls will turn to Gabriel Cunningham, a Texas Tech and New Mexico State product who recently played professionally in Europe.
Cunningham βunderstands the game of football and is pretty damn good,β Wooten said. βPeople are going to be surprised when they see him play.β
Wooten doesnβt view Nealβs tryout as a problem β even if the Colts end up poaching him.
βIf weβre not moving people up, why have the IFL?β he said. βItβs great for the league, because now it shows the NFL is watching the best player in our league. β¦ Iβm super proud of him. To see him grow as a quarterback, Iβm super proud of him getting this situation with the Colts, because now it shows the hard work pays off. You teach it, but when it comes to the situation and it works, it makes you feel good.β
Thanks to Neal, the Sugar Skulls have the highest-scoring offense in the IFL, averaging 55.4 points per game. Tucson has twice franchise records for most points scored in a game, putting up 72 against San Diego before scoring 74 against the Rattlers.
Neal, a Franklinton, North Carolina native and Elizabeth City State alumnus, has only thrown one interception this season, which was in the fourth quarter in a 67-66 loss to the San Diego Strike Force. Since then, Neal has thrown 20 touchdowns with no interceptions.
βHeβs got the size, the arm, the feet, the leadership and the dedication to make someone a winner,β Wooten said.
Wootenβs quest to deliver an NFL tryout to Neal began before the coach and quarterback moved to Tucson. When Neal led Wootenβs Iowa Barnstormers in 2019 and was named the IFL MVP, the duo developed a tight-knit relationship. Wooten persistently filmed Nealβs workouts and quarterback drills and maintained contact with the Colts over the last three years.
βHeβs willing to learn everything in order to be great,β Wooten said. βWhen I first got him in 2019, he was raw, but he listened to coaching, followed his techniques and now look at him today.β
Fortunately for Tucson, the Sugar Skulls still have All-IFL running back Mike Jones, who leads the league in rushing touchdowns (13), and a receiving corps that has three players β Arthur Jackson, Quinton Pedroza and Carrington Thompson β among the top 12 pass-catchers in the IFL.
βI feel like we got the momentum right now, so we might as well keep this thing rolling,β said Jones. βLike Iβve said before, itβs always us against us any time we step foot on the football field. We have everyone starting to buy into whatβs really going on.β
Saturdayβs winner will secure sole possession of second place in the Western Conference standings behind the Rattlers.
Extra points
Tucson kicker Logan Justus was named IFL Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against the Rattlers. Justus made both of his field-goal attempts and tallied eight PATs.
In the last meeting between the Sugar Skulls and Wranglers three weeks ago, Northern Arizona wide receiver Quentin Randolph scored seven all-purpose touchdowns; Tucson won 72-62.
The Sugar Skulls checked in at No. 5 in the IFL Coaches Poll this week. Tucson is behind the Rattlers, the Frisco Fighters, Northern Arizona and the Massachusetts Pirates.
