New London — This summer, Brendan McNeil was a passenger in a C-130 military aircraft. As part of a drill, he was also picked up out of the water by a Jayhawk helicopter, used by the U.S. Coast Guard for search-and-rescue missions. McNeil was hauled up into the basket by a rescue swimmer.

He's sailed from New London to the Caribbean aboard the USCGC Eagle, one of the endeavors he lists among his highlights.

"Every day that goes by I think more and more how great of an opportunity it is to be here," said McNeil, a Coast Guard junior from Pawcatuck. "The friends I've made here, the guys are my best friends."

McNeil, a 2012 New London High School graduate after transfering from Stonington, is a two-sport athlete at Coast Guard and in his first season as a starter on the defensive line.

McNeil, who began his career with the Bears as a linebacker and made the switch to the line part of the way through last season, starts at right end and has the Bears' only sack of the season so far, coming in last week's 14-3 loss to Merchant Marine.

"Brendan is a competitor. I'm glad he's taking the move to the D line very graciously. He's been a big help to us," Coast Guard coach Bill George said at Wednesday's weekly team media luncheon. "He's developed. He's made the adjustment to the D line, I don't want to say better than we thought, but he's having more fun with it than I thought.

"I think he always wanted to be a linebacker."

Coast Guard had two All-New England Football Conference selections at end last year in Aaron Black (first team) and Joel Wyman (second team). Nose guard Blake Bonifas returns to bolster the line, joined by a pair of former linebackers at end in James Walsh on the left and McNeil, at 6-foot-1, 225 pounds, on the right.

So far, McNeil is fourth among the leading tacklers for Coast Guard (1-1), with 11, as the Bears head into this week's game at Catholic University (1-1) in Washington, D.C. Last week's sack for McNeil came against Merchant Marine's triple-option, a run-based offense which makes it tough to rush a quarterback.

"At first I thought, 'I'm really too small to play on the D line,'" McNeil said. "I thought I was undersized. But I do all right. I'm quicker than them."

Catholic, for instance, has an offensive line that goes, 238 pounds, 266, 240, 257 and is topped by 6-4, 278-pound right tackle Pat Narus.

"Aaron Black and Joel Wyman. I told them, 'I think I'm too small.' And they said, 'You'll be fine,'" McNeil said. "'Use your speed to your advantage.' The best offensive tackle? I think was on Hampden-Sydney. But Nichols had a guy way over 300 pounds. There are some big guys."

To compound matters, McNeil, an outfielder who hit .307 with 19 RBI last year, said he typically loses 10-15 pounds during baseball season and has to put it back on during the summer for football season.

During most summers that's not easy, as cadets are assigned to boats during the summer and don't have weight rooms. This year, it was McNeil's cadre summer, stationed at the academy in New London, making the transition to football an easier one.

George said McNeil works hard at the switch.

"It's hard for the guys who play two sports to catch up," said George, noting that the baseball players miss spring football. "Brendan is dedicated to play both his sports. I think he's a very physical, fast player. He does play with an air of confidence and toughness.

"I think he's got a real up side to be a dominant player if he keeps working."

Coast Guard has allowed only 10 points per game over the first two games, second in the NEFC, and is second in allowing an average of 336.5 yards per game. The pass defense is first at 75 yards per game. McNeil is fourth in average tackles among linemen.

McNeil, a management major, calls it a "big relief" to be able to spend a weekend night home every now and then. He packs the car full of as many of his friends who can fit and heads for Pawcatuck, crediting his mom, Karen, with a great deal of grocery shopping.

"I think sometimes it might kind of scare my mom, what's going to happen after I graduate," McNeil said. "But my mom and dad (Pat) like coming to the games, baseball games and football."

v.fulkerson@theday.com

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