Hilton Head’s Sneed Wins S.C. Mr. Football

Ian Guerin December 11, 2021 @ 01:25 PM

[player_tooltip player_id="59462" first="Jaylen" last="Sneed"] is going to be taking some serious hardware to Notre Dame. The Hilton Head linebacker was named the 2021 South Carolina Mr. Football on Saturday, edging out four other finalists. He was awarded the trophy during halftime of the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl at Myrtle Beach’s Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium. In the 27 years of the award’s existence, he is the first linebacker to win it. “I just know it’s a great honor,” Sneed said. “Growing up in the state of South Carolina, knowing players who have won it, went to the NFL - knowing I have a great chance to be the best player I can be - and just be able to bring it home to our school and my family.” The other finalists this year were Gray Collegiate tailback [player_tooltip player_id="89314" first="Kazarius" last="Adams"], Myrtle Beach receiver [player_tooltip player_id="59464" first="Adam" last="Randall"], Daniel quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="153264" first="Trent" last="Pearman"] and Northwestern quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="89316" first="Will" last="Mattison"]. Each of the four presented their own similarly strong cases via their play on the field. Adams rushed for more than 3,000 yards. Randall cemented a solid three-year varsity career before he heads off to Clemson. Mattison and Pearman put up video-game numbers throughout the season. However, it was Sneed’s name that was called on Saturday. He conducted media interviews and posed for pictures, including with is mother, Chanta Ellison (above) In nine games this season, the 6-foot-2, 220-pounder finished with just shy of 100 total tackles, (including 80 solos) eight tackles for loss, eight quarterback hits, one sack, two blocked punts and a pair of interceptions. That was only part of his impact for the Seahawks. He was also asked to take over the offense as both a quarterback and in a wildcat role. He threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns while putting up 760 rushing yards and 17 scores on 117 carries. “His leadership, athleticism and ability to be coachable shined during his four years,” Hilton Head coach B.J. Payne said. “His unselfishness and team-first attitude showed by him playing eight different positions in his career. Offensively, defensively and on special teams, every teams and every person in the stands had their eyes on No. 3 - knowing that every play could be a game-changing one. [Sneed was a] once-in-a-lifetime player for a coach.” That ability to play other spots certainly didn’t hurt Sneed’s recruitment - especially after he took on many of those offensive duties during a severely shortened junior season. But the reason he piled up 30 Power Five offers before initially committed to Notre Dame in June is because of his skills on defense. In 246 career games, Sneed has piled up 245 total tackles, 35 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and had a hand in 10 turnovers.