By Matt Osborne
SouthernPigskin.com

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Trey Sneed’s early success at the high school level has, thus far, paid off to the tune of 14 scholarship offers being thrown his way prior to the start of his junior season.

Even though he has every reason to be the complete opposite, 2016 running back prospect Trey Sneed out of Fleming Island High School in Florida is as humble as they come.

Recently ranked as a member of the ESPN Junior 300, Sneed has already proven to scouts across the nation that he is one of the top high school football players in the country. With his combination of pure speed, lateral quickness and surprising strength, he is a versatile weapon capable of punishing a defense in a variety of different ways coming out of the backfield.

Despite his undeniable physical gifts, Sneed was unsure of whether or not he would be deemed worthy of being named as an ESPN Junior 300 when the rankings were released. As an avid fan and follower of the recruiting process for years, the thought of earning such a prestigious distinction was almost unthinkable. The fact that he has followed the recruiting rankings in the past only helped to make the honor that much sweeter.

“It’s always a blessing just to be acknowledged for all of your hard work,” Sneed recently commented on the Southern Pigskin Radio Network. “About a year ago, I used to know everything about the ESPN 300. I used to know who was in it and where they had offers. To have the opportunity to be named to that, it’s just a complete honor. It’s a dream come true, to tell you the truth.”

Sneed’s early success at the high school level has, thus far, paid off to the tune of 14 scholarship offers being thrown his way prior to the start of his junior season.

As is the case with many high-profile recruits who emerge onto the recruiting scene early in their high school careers, complacency is now enemy number one for Sneed.

Fortunately, he seems to be having little trouble continuing with his incredible work ethic as he moves towards reaching his ultimate goals.

“Sometimes you feel like you’ve made, but I just always have to think about when I was trying to get it,” said Sneed. “I have to stay hungry. My parents help me by reminding me how hard I worked before all of this happened. I also recognize that I still have two more years to prove that I deserve to be where I am now.”

Though Sneed has already started to take some time to focus on his recruiting, he is choosing to spend the vast majority of his time focusing on his remaining two years at Fleming Island.

His decision to put the recruiting process temporarily on the backburner was ironically somewhat inspired by one of the college coaches recruiting him the hardest.

“Sometimes high school recruiting feels like a business itself because you have to stay relevant by going to camps, visiting colleges and doing interviews. When I visited to Duke, Coach Cutcliffe sat me down and told me that high school football would be some of the most fun years of football that you will have. He told me to cherish my time in high school and enjoy just being a kid.”

While he is still likely nowhere close to making his college decision, Sneed has started to do some research on the teams that are currently recruiting of him.

Of his 14 current scholarship offers, he says that Duke, Georgia Tech, Louisville and Miami have separated themselves as the early favorites. That by no means, however, is to indicate that no other programs are capable of working their way towards the top of his list as his junior campaign wears along.

It is only natural for avid college football fans to take a serious interest in a player such as Sneed during the recruitment process, as his eventual decision very well could have a massive impact at the collegiate level.

Given his elite talent, though, perhaps we should all take Sneed’s approach to the game, choosing to focus on his accomplishments on the field over the next two seasons rather than worrying about where he will play in the future. If we are able to live in the present, we will no doubt be blown away by what he shows us on the gridiron.