Police in Austin, Texas are investigating the overnight death of former quarterback Jevan Snead, per the Austin American-Statesman. As of Sunday morning, details of the death have not been released, but no foul play is suspected by police officials. A source close to Snead’s family in Stephenville also confirmed the death, which took place downtown Austin.
A highly-sought-after prospect back in 2005, Snead originally committed to the University of Florida but switched to Texas when an opportunity arose to replace Vince Young in the future. According to the Statesman, head coach Mack Brown provided hope for Snead to serve as the new dual-threat quarterback for the Longhorns.
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“I’ve talked with the coaches and they said that if Young leaves, I’ll get the chance to compete for a starting spot,” Snead said back in January 2006.
However, his fast track to the starting job was derailed by a redshirt freshman by the name of Colt McCoy. Snead was ultimately named as the backup prior to the 2006 season as McCoy went on to become of the greatest quarterbacks in school history.
Late in the season, Snead announced that he would be transferring to Mississippi, which would make him unavailable for the 2007 season. Snead won the starting job entering 2008 and would go on to become one of the more effective quarterbacks in the NCAA. In his two seasons as the starter, Snead led the Rebels to an 18-8 record and two victories in the Cotton Bowl. He also registered 2,762 passing yards and 26 touchdowns in 2008 and 2,632 yards and 20 touchdowns during his final season with the university.
With one year of eligibility, there was a belief that Snead would return to Ole Miss, but he instead opted to pursue a possible career in the NFL. He went undrafted in the 2010 NFL Draft but landed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent.
Unfortunately for Snead, his stint in the NFL was short-lived as he was cut in July to make room for first-round draft pick Gerald McCoy. Although Snead did later return to the Buccaneers when starter Josh Freeman suffered a thumb injury during the preseason. His NFL career came to an end in September when he was released once again by the Buccaneers.
Snead found one more potential opportunity to play professional football when he signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League in 2011. However, his stint with the team ended before the regular season began.
