Recruiting Report: Trent Finney (SMB 2021)

Trent Finney is a 2021 TE/DL who attends Minnehaha Academy and plays for its conglomerate football squad SMB where he helped win a state championship last year in 4A. He also helped Minnehaha to two basketball championships. Coming off a big Friday night win vs. Benilde in the section championship was no easy feat for SMB, and Finney has been an underrated component of the SMB teams of late. Standing at 6'3 and weighing 230 lbs., Finney is a dynamic athlete on the gridiron who I was surprised to learn has not been contacted by any college football programs and is open to playing football at any division. I feel lucky to be able to represent Northstar Football News in an interview conducted a few days ago in which we discussed the 2019 season, what SMB needs to do to win a state championship, and his recruitment. Check it out below. [caption id="attachment_14732" align="alignright" width="300"] Finney pass pro[/caption] NFN: Hello, Trent! Introduce yourself to our readers and tell us a little about yourself and how you got into the game of football. Finney: "I am from Hopkins, Minnesota and I attend Minnehaha Academy. I started playing football for the first time last year after my senior teammate Siegel Howard III (now playing at St. Olaf) talked to my parents for the whole 2018 summer. One fun fact about me is that I also play basketball and have been apart of back-to-back state championship teams at Minnehaha. The thing that attracted me to football was the opportunity to join a brotherhood in the SMB Wolfpack and the physicality of football. I'm 6'3, 230 lbs., run a 5.0 40 and squat 300. Last year I had 9 JV touchdowns at TE and on varsity I had two catches for 30 yards." NFN: "Tell us about expectations for 2019 coming into the season, what playing football at SMB is like, and how 2019 has materialized for you guys and what you need to focus on to win state again/ Finney: "Our expectations for the year are to repeat as state champions and improve week to week throughout the season. This offseason I put in a lot of work with my trainer Eric Harrison and he really emphasized footwork and adding muscle mass. Playing football with SMB is very special and we have players from three different schools: St. Paul Academy, Blake, and Minnehaha. Our program is extremely focused on growing young men, not just football players, and our coaches do an extremely good job of coaching us on and off the field. And then you of course have all the highlight plays we have that are like things on Madden that will leave you shaking your head. [caption id="attachment_14733" align="alignright" width="300"] Finney with the reception.[/caption] Our 2019 season has been amazing. To state the year I began at DT for two games and had two sacks and five tackles. Then I moved to RG and C which has been really fun, especially being the center for Jalen Suggs who is a great leader on our team. It was amazing to go undefeated which was our goal since day one. We won our first playoff game vs. Mound Westonka 35-14 and it was a very good game for us and we played really well. Our next game is vs. Benilde St. Margarets who will be extremely tough but if we stick to our game plan and stay disciplined we will win the game. To win the state championship we need to stick to ourselves and not worry about other teams because if we improve one day at a time we are a very hard team to beat." NFN: Even though your football career is fairly recent, have any teams contacted you at all for recruitment purposes? Finney: "One team to contact me so far is Iowa State. I went down there September 21st for a gameday visit, had a very good time, and hope to be back soon. When I look at colleges I look for places that have a true brotherhood on and off the field and places that will allow me to pursue my desired academic endeavors because I know someday football will come to an end." Hop on the early Finney train while you can, Coaches! Hudl: <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2C1SVX">http://www.hudl.com/v/2C1SVX</a>