CU football

It’s the first time since 2015 that CU’S receivers won’t be coached by Chiaverini.

Mcgeoghan had all spring to work with Sneed and has been impressed.

“RJ’S intelligence is probably the most impressive thing that he has,” Mcgeoghan said. “And his leadership skills; and his communication skills; and his ability to communicate within the play and really get on the same page with everybody. His overall coverage awareness (is good), as far as the shell of the defense and the rotations of the safety, so that allows him to play fast and play with anticipation. He’s a great student of the game. He’s a great leader. He’s very selfless and he’s a hard worker.”

Sneed developed a lot of those traits by growing up in a close family. He has two older sisters and admits that as the youngest in the family, “I used to get babied, but not anymore.”

These days, Sneed benefits from the support of his family, especially his father, Rodney, and mother, Dr. Rhonda Sneed.

His mother is an ordained minister who founded the Restoring Souls Outreach Center in Houston.

Sneed said their support was critical when he chose to enter the transfer portal after last season.

“It helped me a lot because my faith was tested in January,” he said. “In the portal, there’s over 1,000 people in there, so you never know what’s gonna happen, but I just kept my faith and I kept going through that. Now with my injury, I could have been like, ‘OK, maybe my career is over,’ but I just kept faith and kept pushing through it. It helps a lot. My mom, she’s a strong Christian woman and prays a lot and I really appreciate her.”

With a solid foundation formed by his upbringing, Sneed said he enjoys being a leader in the receiver room.

“Yeah, because I feel like it’s something you grow into,” he said. “I’m not vocal every day, but either I’m going to lead by saying something or I’m gonna lead by showing you my work. At the end of the day, you’re leading one way or the other.”

More than anything, he hopes to lead by producing on the field and making this his best season.

“I’m very excited,” he said. “It’s my final year of college football. I get to make one more impression on (NFL) scouts. I’m very excited.

I’m gonna make sure I take it day by day, game by game and just go out and play my best every game.”