[2] McNeill was a defensive back for the East Carolina Pirates for four years under then head coach Pat Dye.

[4] In addition to coaching at the high school level and spending a summer as an intern with the Miami Dolphins under Jimmy Johnson, McNeill has coached 23 seasons at the college level, including seven seasons at Appalachian State, his first job as defensive coordinator.

[6] Head coach Mike Leach named McNeill interim defensive coordinator shortly after with eight games remaining in the season.

On December 28, 2009, Leach was suspended, and fired two days later, by Texas Tech University over the alleged inappropriate treatment of an injured player.

[7][8][9] On January 13, 2010, McNeill was removed from the Texas Tech coaching staff by Tuberville and replaced with James Willis.

[11] The Red Raiders forced more punts and allowed fewer rushing and passing yards than they did to begin the season.

[15] McNeill was announced as the special assistant to head coach Dave Doeren at NC State on July 7, 2020.