As a freshman, Me’Arah O’Neal flashed potential. As a sophomore, she’s proving it.
Now 10 games into the 2025-26 season, the consistency she built over the summer is showing on the court — in smarter decisions, tougher rebounding and a growing presence around the rim.
She’s already recorded four double-doubles this season, and she set a new career high and scored 24 points against Memphis on Nov. 28.
During the summer, O’Neal did the same thing every day: weight room, practice, sleep, repeat. She kept her goals simple: get faster, get stronger and find her voice as a leader.
“Just stay the course,” she said. “That’s all you can do, really. I just have to stay the course, stay focused and just have faith that I am gonna make it here.”
Assistant coach Jackie Moore said O’Neal spent significant time working with strength coach Jason Traylor to refine her running form, play lower to the ground and develop consistency from game to game.
“She had to get tough and get tougher and get stronger,” Moore said. “And she did that, and she’s continuing to do that even now. She's taking hits and being able to finish. Mentally, she’s more locked in.”
O’Neal recalled a time over the summer, during a one-on-one drill, when her new skills shone through. In the drill, she was allowed two dribbles to score. She attacked the basket and finished through contact, drawing a foul.
“That was a peak moment for me,” she said. “I was not doing this last year.”
O’Neal’s freshman numbers made the target areas clear. She averaged 4.8 points and 3.9 rebounds, and her production fluctuated from double-digit outings to games where she barely got shots up. She finished just 27% from three, and at 6-foot-4, there were nights she grabbed only a rebound or two.
Before arriving in Gainesville, O’Neal starred at Episcopal High School in Houston, where she earned a spot in the 2024 McDonald’s All-American Game. She graduated as the No. 3 prospect in Texas and ranked No. 33 nationally, according to Prospects Nation and ESPNW.
Now in her second year of college, she’s set her sights higher.
“I want to be a leading rebounder on the team and one of the top in the league,” O’Neal said. “I want to win. I want to go to Phoenix.”
So far, she’s backing it up. O’Neal is averaging 14.7 points and 8.2 rebounds while maintaining that 27% clip from beyond the arc.
In Florida’s season opener against North Florida, O’Neal logged her second career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds and hit her first three-pointer of the season.
This game set the tone for her sophomore season, and to date, she’s dominated. In the 10 games played thus far, O’Neal has been one of the top three leading scorers and one of the top two leading rebounders.
Her teammates have felt the shift, too. Sophomore guard and leading scorer Liv McGill (26 ppg), who has a strong connection with O’Neal dating back to their McDonald’s All-American days, said she’s seen O’Neal’s mentality change.
“She's had hard moments, but now when she has these hard moments this season, she’s able to overcome them just because she’s gotten stronger mentality-wise,” McGill said.
Over the summer, junior guard Laila Reynolds briefly stayed with O’Neal while moving houses, giving the two a chance to grow close off the court. Reynolds saw O’Neal’s commitment firsthand, especially during grueling “Gator stadium” runs, where she showed her ability to push through mental fatigue.
“I’ve noticed she’s serious about getting better,” Reynolds said. “Stadiums are really just a mindset kind of thing, so just seeing her mindset switch to, ‘I'm going to do this.’”
O’Neal has already broken her career highs across the board in points (24), rebounds (11), blocks (five) and steals (two).
Florida head coach Kelly Rae Finley said that a shift in mindset is unlocking everything else and describes O’Neal as a versatile, skilled and evolving player. And this growth is shaping her into a leader for her fellow forwards and setting the standard.
“I just think that she is a testament to total and complete buy-in,” Finley said. “She worked every single day. She was focused, she was bought in, and as a result of that, you’ve seen her start with two double-doubles. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
After the UNF game, Finley described O’Neal’s growth as “tremendous” and referred to her as the anchor of the forward group. Additionally, following a 45-point win over Jacksonville on Nov. 10, she said the biggest change in O’Neal is the way she carries herself, her composure and maturity on the court.
“I think you guys can see it statistically on the stat sheet,” she said. “We’re proud of her for that. That’s what’s required for our team to be in the best position to win games.”
O’Neal has had four double-doubles in the last eight games. Her highest was against Florida State on Nov. 20, where she racked up 18 points and 11 rebounds.
O’Neal knows there’s still more she can tap into, especially with finishing through contact and becoming a more consistent presence from the 3-point line. But, she’s motivated and determined to keep pushing toward the player she knows she can be.
“Stay patient and believe in yourself and just put in your best effort,” O’Neal said. “Whatever you want to do … it’s bound to happen.”
Contact Isis Snow at isnow@alligator.org. Follow her on X @isis_snoww.
Isis is a junior sports journalism student and is the volleyball beat reporter for fall 2025. This is her third semester with The Alligator. She enjoys reading, playing basketball and weight lifting in her free time.
