SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio — Shaker Heights junior Trey McNutt is a name known across the football recruiting world. The No. 1 ranked safety in the country by 247Sports has earned that by natural talent and hard work—some of that work coming in 7-on-7s. But because McNutt plays in Ohio, participating in them has resulted in a battle with him and the state.
Trey, a 4-star safety, was gifted with athletic abilities from an early age.
"Trey has always been an athlete; I think he was kind of born one," his mother, LaToya McNutt, said.
When he entered high school, he was instantly playing at the top level.
"Going into high school, I played varsity in my freshman year and after that, it's just been an uprising," Trey said.
The soon-to-be senior credits some of his growth over the past three seasons to the work he's been able to do on 7-on-7s. The camps he attends consist of skills training and competition drills with top talent from across the country. As a wide receiver, the work helps build technique and showcase personal strengths with no pads and pure athletic ability on display. As a safety, the defensive work could put recruiters who have the potential to see the plays and moves on high alert, as defending one-on-one puts the individual under a microscope when it comes to technique.
While recruiters can't attend the events, players can add their work in 7-on-7s to their tape—and draw interest from college teams. Trey also said they've helped him move up in the rankings. He said he started around 13th and now, after the 7-on-7s, and of course his games with Shaker Heights, he now is the top ranked as his position.
"Since I've started playing seven on seven. It's been an uprise in my recruitment and really just me as a person. It's grown me as a person and my personality and meeting new people and just building connections outside of where you live at," Trey said. Seeing all these other top athletes you're going against, and you're just going against other people at a high caliber level."
From Vegas and Miami to Texas and Georgia, McNutt has had the opportunity to hone his skills against some of the best high school players in the country.
And Trey has still stood out along the way—a testament to his abilities. Abilities that have been showcased enough for him to receive offers from a number of schools, including Florida, Oregon, Cincinnati and Georgia. He has plenty in common with the top talent in the country, but there's one difference—one disadvantage—Trey has that many of the other players in the 7-on-7s don't.
Trey plays football in Ohio, where 7-on-7s have been prohibited outside of a small window of the year. According to the Ohio High School Athletic Association's rulebook, players are prohibited from participating in 7-on-7s any time of the year outside of May 15 through July 31. It was a rule the McNutt family was unaware
of, and because he is so highly ranked, it didn't take long for OHSAA to be made aware and inform Shaker Heights High School of the infraction.
"So they suspended me for three to four games right now and they said that...if I keep playing, I could keep getting suspended for more," Trey said. "Ohio they're holding the kids back. I don't know why, but they're just holding them back."
Trey could have fought his suspension and stopped attending the 7-on-7s this spring. Instead, he decided to push back by continuing to go to the events, risking his senior year in hopes of getting OHSAA and the Coaches Association to change the rule and allow the next wave of players to be able to showcase their skillsets at these events without limitation.
"I'm going to keep doing 7-on-7s because it's what's right and it's the right thing to do because bad things are meant to change," Trey said. "You got to take action for it to change."
His mother has been fully supportive of his decision and proud that her son chose to stand up for his beliefs, for his teammates, and for younger football players in Ohio who could miss out on opportunities presented by a 7-on-7 because the state's rule prohibits them from attending it.
"He's standing up for what he believes in," LaToya said.
Because he already has offers from numerous schools, Trey and his mother felt comfortable being the face of the fight, leading the charge to change the rules.
"We're not really concerned about how it can impact him as far as college recruitment. It is what it is. He, he has the offers," LaToya said. "But it's bigger than that, it's about how it's impacting all of the athletes in Ohio and that's what we're focused on, the other students, the other kids and the limitations that are on all of the children here that are playing football."
The feedback Trey has gotten since standing up against the rule has been positive, he said. It's a rule many athletes in the state either don't know exists or don't believe it should.
"Now that I got suspended, it's been just even random kids that I've never talked to DM me, just saying thank you for standing up for the rule. It's been coaches and it's been college coaches that just agree with all that I'm doing," Trey said.
For Trey, fighting the rule has truly been for those on his team in Shaker Heights, the players he goes against on game day, and for all the young players who love the game as much as he does and want to put their all into it.
"I do it for the kids and that's really all that matters to me, even if I do get suspended more games. It is what it is. I'm trying to change the rule for everybody else," he said. "I just hope that they lift the rule and change the rule because it's like I said, it's holding kids back."
Over the past two weeks, News 5 reached out numerous times to the Ohio High School Athletic Association about the rule and Trey's fight to change it. They did not respond. News 5 also reached out to the Coaches Association, who also did not respond to the request for comment.
