Former Walk-On Riley Neer is Turning Heads at Ohio
9/25/2026 2:52:00 PM | Football
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ATHENS, Ohio— By the time Riley Neer walked off a high school football field for the last time, he had played only one season as a wide receiver.
The current redshirt sophomore played both quarterback and running back before the switch, a late change that eventually led to a call from current tight ends coach and passing game coordinator Kyle Obly.
"I transitioned to receiver junior and senior year, so I'd only played one true year as a receiver," Neer said. "At that point, a lot of those schools already had their guys, and then Obly reached out to me after my senior year and told me, 'Look, we already have all our spots filled, but we're going to give you a preferred walk-on spot.' A week or two later, I committed."
The recruiting process was fast for the Bellefontaine, Ohio, product, matching the speed of his development at Ohio thus far.
Neer arrived in Athens as a walk-on receiver in 2024 and did not see the field in his freshman season. As a redshirt freshmanin 2025, Neer saw action in seven games, primarily supporting the special teams.
This season, Neer is off to a blazing start, recording 16 catches for 203 yards and four touchdowns through the team's first three games. According to Neer, two years of learning behind great Ohio receivers were invaluable.
"I sat behind two really good players: Chase Hendricks and Coleman Owen," Neer said. "The slot position is a very resourceful position in this offense. Learning from those guys — as well as seeing how they developed and played the game — was impactful for me."
Ohio had a stretch of outstanding players in the slot, dating back to Sam Wiglusz in 2022 and 2023, before Owen took over in 2024 and Hendricks in 2025.
Under longtime Ohio coach and offensive coordinator Scott Isphording, 2026 looks to be the year of Neer. While the receiver room is full of familiar faces, wide receivers coach Danny Langsdorf brings new energy in his first season with the Bobcats.
Langsdorf has experience across both collegiate and professional football, and his time as a quarterback coach has assisted Neer's development this season.
"We understand the reads more, and what the quarterbacks go through on a daily basis," Neer said. "Understanding the timing has definitely improved our game."
The offense dialed up a perfect play to start the season, getting Neer involved right away. The Bobcats opened the Sept. 5 contest against Nebraska with a 68-yard catch-and-run from graduate student quarterback Nick Poulos to Neer.
Neer's first reception for Ohio went about as well as possible, but he almost outdid himself with his second. Neer was able to haul in a contested catch in the corner of the end zone for the Bobcats' first touchdown of the season, also marking the first touchdown of Neer's career.
After putting Ohio up early in the game, Neer looked up and saw his family in the stands at Memorial Stadium, realizing just how much the long, hard hours of work in the spring and summer had paid off.
"It was just a surreal moment after sitting for two years and coming into your role," Neer said. "I got to just experience the work paying off."
Neer went on to total two more catches in the tough road loss, but he bounced back the next week with another touchdown, this one from junior quarterback Matt Vezza.
He caught two more from Vezza last week against South Alabama, and he has also seen targets from freshman quarterback Levi Davis.
No matter who is under center, Neer has been a highlight in the Bobcats' offense this season. As a unit, Ohio is third in the Mid-American Conference in points per game, averaging 28.7.
The offense will need to keep producing points as Ohio begins MAC play in two weeks, kicking off conference competition on the road against the Kent State Golden Flashes after hosting Stonehill at Peden Stadium (Sept. 26).
For Neer, personal goals pale in comparison to the ultimate team goal: getting back to Detroit and taking home another MAC title.
"Statistics are obviously important, but that's not my main focus," Neer said about his goals. "The biggest thing we want to achieve as a team is getting back to that MAC championship and finishing the job."
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