For the past four years, Hilton Head High’s Jaylen Sneed put in the effort on a daily basis to become the best football player he could be. On Saturday afternoon in Myrtle Beach, his hard work paid off with the state’s highest individual honor.
Sneed was crowned Saturday as the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives 2021 South Carolina Mr. Football award winner, earning the title of the state’s most outstanding high school football player. He was selected from a group of five finalists at halftime of the 2021 Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium, becoming the first linebacker to win in the award’s 27-year history. Sneed joins an impressive list of recipients including eight current or former players in the National Football League, and is the first in the Lowco to ever achieve the distinction.
“I’m just pumped that I’m able to bring this award back to my school, family, and coaches,” Sneed said. “Just knowing that my academic skills, my social skills, and my football skills put all into one to win this award is just a great honor, and that little kids can look up to me and win one too someday.”
It’s the biggest award yet in a distinguished career for Sneed, surpassing the heights of former Seahawk standouts including Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Poona Ford.
“It’s huge,” HHIHS head coach BJ Payne said. “We’ve never had a winner nor a finalist before. He earned this award, he’s the best player in the state of South Carolina. He’s unselfish on the field, in the classroom, and in the community. He does all the right things. On top of being an awesome human being, he’s a great football player. This state has had a phenomenal number of linebackers throughout the years, and to be the first to get that award is pretty mind-blowing.”
Sneed took on the starring role of Payne’s defense in 2021 and put on a show with his dominant physicality and athleticism, racking up 101 tackles (11.2 per game) alongside eight tackles for loss, one sack, eight quarterback pressures, and two interceptions. He displayed his elite explosiveness off the snap all season long, flying into the backfield to make plays while also excelling in pass coverage and shining on special teams with two blocked punts.
Sneed also took over at quarterback midway through the season and became a force under center with 815 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 117 carries while throwing for 210 yards and two touchdown passes.
A high-motor player with the strength and versatility to make impacts at all angles, the Seahawk standout quickly blossomed into a premier talent at the linebacker position. On top of his Mr. Football award, Sneed was also named as a finalist for the High School Butkus Award and a semifinalist for the Maxwell Club National High School Defensive Player of the Year Award. He has also shined in the classroom and within the community, carrying a 3.6 grade point average while taking time to volunteer at his church and across the Lowcountry.
He committed to the University of Notre Dame in July, and will officially join new head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish in a signing day ceremony at his school on Wednesday.
For Sneed and Payne, it’s the culmination of their unbeatable drive and commitment over the past four years, and a testament to all that helped mold the linebacker into the successful athlete that he has become.
“My mom and dad have been there through everything,” Sneed said. “There’s never enough I could say about Coach Payne, he’s always been working overtime to help me with anything I need help with. Ever since I started freshman year, my teammates have been amazing, always coaching me up to become the best player I could be.”
The culmination of such an incredible career comes with some bittersweet feelings for his coach, who has to face a future without him on the field.
“He’s meant so much to our program,” Payne said. “He’s played every position imaginable for us. He’s going to transition well to the next level, and is going to continue to get bigger and better.”
By Wes Kerr
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