Benny Snell Jr. has felt that he’s needed to prove people wrong his entire career.
Now, after leaving the University of Kentucky as the football program’s all-time leading rusher, he’ll continue to have that chip on his shoulder as he hopes to prove himself at the top level – the NFL.
“That’s forever inside of Benny. I feel like there’s going to come a time when I’m going onto the next level that I’m going to be doubted or I’m going to need to earn my spot wherever I’m at, and I’m going to go on to do that,” Snell said during a stop at People’s Bank of Maysville on an autograph tour in February. “If you’re a doubter, you’re a hater here right now. I told you so, and look where I’m at.”
The 5-foot-11, 223 pound back out of Westerville Central High School in Ohio exploded onto the scene as a true freshman. After an embarrassing 44-35 loss to Southern Miss at what was then Commonwealth Stadium and a 45-7 romp from Florida in The Swamp, Snell made his presence known in the team’s next game against New Mexico State.
He was given the ball 17 times in the contest, rushing for 137 yards and four touchdowns for the first win in a 7-5 regular season, not knowing that just a couple of years down the road he’d have Big Blue Nation chanting his name as he walked into restaurants, banks and arenas.
“When I was a freshman everything was happening so fast and right now I’m in life to where I just can’t believe where I’m at, you know what I’m saying?” said Snell. “And the outcome of how the fans come out and how excited they are – it’s really all new to me. I’m a guy that lives in the moment.”
From that overcast September 2016 day until the end of his junior season, the legend of Benny Snell continued to grow.
The team capped off the regular season with a 41-38 victory over ins-state rival Louisville, a team featuring Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson. They went on to play in the TaxSlayer Bowl, where they fell to Georgia Tech, 33-18. It was the first winning season for the Wildcats since 2009 and the first bowl appearance since 2010. Snell played in all 13 of Kentucky’s games, running for 1,091 yards and 13 touchdowns on 186 attempts.
His sophomore season was even more impressive, with 1,333 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground on 262 carries. Kentucky once again finished the regular season 7-5, before this time falling to Northwestern, 24-23, in the Music City Bowl. Snell’s time in the postseason game was short lived, however, as he was ejected in the second quarter for making contact with an official.
All he did his junior season was help lead the team to its third-ever 10-win season and first since 1977. The 10th win came on New Year’s Day with a 27-24 victory over Penn State in the VRBO Citrus Bowl. In his final game, Snell broke Sonny Collins’ career rushing record with a 12-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, falling to his knees as he reached the end zone.
Snell finished his career holding the school record for rushing yards with 3,873, total touchdowns with 48 and 100-yard games with 19, which are just three of the 14 school records he broke or tied.
“I’m glad I’m able to do and accomplish everything that I have,” said Snell. “I kind of set the standard and I set a legacy for myself, so for the incoming freshman and the young people coming in, they’ve got something to look at.”
Following the February stop in Maysville and the rest of the stops on the autograph tour, Snell said he was planning to fly back to Florida to train for the combine, working on his speed and bench press. At the NFL combine, he posted a 4.66 second 40-yard dash, got 16 reps on the bench press, a 29.5-inch vertical jump and a 119-inch broad jump. Snell’s 40-yard dash time at the NFL combine was 19th-best among running backs – his elusiveness and burst are considered weaknesses as he tries to get a spot in the league, while his toughness and willpower are what many like about him.
Several mock drafts have Snell going as a mid-round pick, while there have been some – like a complete mock draft from The Athletic’s Dane Brugler that was released on Monday – that didn’t have Snell getting drafted at all.
But no matter where he goes in the NFL Draft – or possibly doesn’t – Snell has had a feeling all along that this time would come, and now he’s ready to continue proving people wrong.
“There’s something that’s always been inside Benny that’s like, you know, I think football’s what I want to do. No matter how many doubters I have, no matter how many people that don’t see the outcome that I have in my mind, I always knew what I wanted to do,” said Snell. “It’s all coming to light, I dreamed about it and it’s happening, so I’m happy about it.”
