Kentucky’s Benny Snell says he’s best in SEC
Benny Snell spoke loud and clear last week in Atlanta at SEC Media Days.
“I am the best running back in the SEC,” he declared.
Normally, a Kentucky football player making such a boast would result in significant backlash, but Snell has been anything but normal during his two seasons in Lexington. The 5-foot11, 223-pounder has rushed for 2,424 yards and 32 touchdowns in his Wildcats career, the largest output by any Southeastern Conference rusher entering his junior year not named Herschel Walker or Leonard Fournette.
Sixth-year Kentucky coach Mark Stoops was asked if Snell,
who had a whopping 262 carries last season for 1,333 yards, could be even busier this year.
“It would be hard to increase his workload,” Stoops said. “He has been such a big focus for us. You have to admire his ability to go back day after day and run after run with that kind of consistency. He gets tough yards. You know how tough they are in this league, and Benny’s been extremely consistent.
“I think what is most impressive about him is that attitude and that chip on his shoulder, playing the game the way it’s supposed to be done.”
That chip has been there for quite some time, apparently.
Snell is from Westerville, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus, and was a three-star prospect in the 2016 signing class. He was rated by 247Sports.com as the No. 876 recruit nationally and the No. 56 running back, which is a bit too low on the totem pole for most who sign with the Ohio State Buckeyes.
“Coming into high school, I was always an Ohio State guy,” Snell said. “I wanted to be a hometown hero, but that wasn’t the case. I found myself at camps being the best one, but other guys were getting MVPs and all that. From then until now, I have kept the chip on my shoulder and have continued to work hard.
“I’m always being downed and don’t get enough credit, and teams are always getting put over Kentucky. That just keeps me motivated to go harder.”
Snell rushed for 1,091 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2016, two of six Kentucky freshman
records he set that season. In a 35-21 triumph at Missouri, he pounded out 38 carries for 192 yards, and he also had 128 yards in a win over Mississippi State and 114 in a last-second loss to Georgia.
It didn’t take long to become a crowd favorite, and when Snell saw a fan holding a “Snell Yeah” sign, he decided to get that tattooed across his stomach.
Last season, when Snell was a proven commodity and defenses would scheme to stop him, the results were even more impressive. He was among five running backs in the SEC who amassed more than 1,200 yards, with the other four now in the NFL — Auburn’s Kerryon Johnson (1,391), Georgia’s Nick Chubb (1,345), LSU’s Derrius Guice (1,251) and Georgia’s Sony Michel (1,227).
Kentucky returns 17 of 22 starters from last season’s team that went 7-5 in the regular season and 4-4 in SEC play before losing to Northwestern in the Music City Bowl. Quarterback is the chief question mark after the graduation of two-year starter Stephen Johnson, with the top candidates 6-4, 206-pound redshirt sophomore Gunnar Hoak and 6-3, 205-pound sophomore Terry Wilson, who played last season at Garden City (Kansas) Community College.
As for running back, well, the Wildcats seem quite set with Snell, who believes he has separated himself from the rest of the pack.
“My running game is very strong,” he said. “I always try to make myself as good as I can be off the field, whether it’s film, practice or more reps. What separates myself from other running backs is that I am very durable. I can get 200-plus carries and still be OK for the rest of season without any injury. In the beginning of the season, I broke my rib during a game, but I came in at halftime and ended up going back in, scored and finished the game as well as the rest of the season.
“If it’s a nagging injury, I’m in the training room and I’m going to get it fixed. If it’s something to do with pain tolerance, I’m going to play through it. I’m playing through everything.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6524.