Benny Snell stops in Lexington ahead of pivotal season with Steelers

Ahead of a pivotal season in the NFL, Benny Snell made time to return to his old stomping grounds in the Bluegrass. On Monday, the former Kentucky star and current Pittsburgh Steeler hosted the third annual “Snell Yeah” youth football camp at George Rogers Clark in Winchester. In between drills and fun with campers, Snell told reporters how great it was to be back in the Big Blue Nation.

“Lexington’s home,” Snell said, via BBN Tonight. “This will forever be home for me and I will definitely always be around, trying to help out whether it’s with the community and the kids, and maybe in the future with the football team. It’s very important to me, and I came a long way.”

"Lexington's home. This will forever be home for me." @benny_snell talks about what makes hosting camps in Kentucky so special.

See more from his camp at https://t.co/ennDLpbazn pic.twitter.com/SK1l1FMAKM

— BBN Tonight (@BBNTonight) July 13, 2022

UK Legend Benny Snell Jr. (@benny_snell) is back in the bluegrass, hosting his 3rd annual “Snell Yeah” Youth Football Camp in Winchester

He says Kentucky will always be home & will do whatever he can to help out the next generation. #BBN | #HereWeGo #Kentucky @UKFootball pic.twitter.com/QVefHb0XFf

— Josh Berrian (@_joshonair) July 11, 2022

Last night, Snell also threw out the first pitch at the Lexington Genomes game:

@benny_snell Gets us under way at Wild Health Field with the first pitch! pic.twitter.com/9oqT7a62mA

— Genomes Baseball (@WHGenomes) July 12, 2022

UK Football legend @benny_snell returns home to Lexington to visit us over at Wild Health Field ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/TogKHH97DI

— Addison Jarecki (@jareckiar) July 13, 2022

Snell looking for opportunities in fourth season in Pittsburgh

After a record-setting career at Kentucky, Snell was selected in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Entering the final year of his rookie contract, Benny Snell is stuck between a rock and a hard place, specifically, behind starting running back Najee Harris. Last season, Snell totaled only 36 carries for 98 yards, while Harris touched the ball a whopping 381 times. Unless Harris is injured, Snell probably won’t see the ball much more often this season, but yesterday, The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly made the case that Snell is still the best backup available.

Per Kaboly’s calculations, Snell averaged 16 carries for 65 yards per game (4.05 yards per carry) in the games he either started or finished with at least 12 carries. Decent backup numbers, especially when you compare them to the free agents currently on the market. Even with Harris ahead of him, he’s looking forward to capitalizing on every opportunity in what could be a make-or-break season.

“I think I did OK when I got a chance,” Snell said, via The Athletic. “You never know when those chances are going to come, so you have to be ready for it when it comes. You just don’t get a lot of chances in this league. You have to be ready for them.”

Can I get a Snell Yeah?