Trey Neal might need an extra mailbox this season.

The Warrenton junior-to-be has become one of the best long snappers in the country, and college coaches have taken notice.

Since the end of his eighth-grade year, Neal has attended more than 20 Kohl’s Specialist camps, which focus on kickers, punters and long snappers.

Neal is currently ranked third in the country in the Class of 2018.

“My middle-school coach asked me to snap because we needed someone, and it just went from there,” Neal said recently. “After awhile, another coach saw me and said I had some potential.” 

That coach was Jamie Pond of Elite Football Academy in Chesterfield.

“We started working out and he told me I should start going to camps,” Neal said.

Neal won the varsity long-snapping job his freshman season, and uses Warrenton games as extra opportunities to showcase his talent for college coaches.

“Games help because it gives me film to send coaches, so they can see what I’ll do in a live setting,” he said. “You can go to a camp and perform well, but under pressure in a game is where it all matters.”

Camps help, too.

Neal has caught the attention of a number of high-profile colleges at specialist camps.

In May he won the Kohl’s Midwest Showcase competition in Chicago.

A month later, he won the University of Wisconsin specialist camp, and has built a relationship with Wisconsin special  teams coach Taylor Mehlhaff.

“He (Mehlhaff) and I have been messaging back and forth,” Neal said. 

But because of his age, Neal cannot receive letters, phone calls or messages from coaches until he initiates contact.

“I’ve sent emails and twitter messages to different coaches, and I’ve had a few coaches contact me back,” he said. “But they get so many messages from kids that they don’t always respond.”

That hasn’t stopped coaches from making sure Neal knows they are interested.

University of Missouri coaches relayed their interest to Kohl’s coaches this offseason, and the University of Miami recently contacted Warrenton Athletic Director Bobby Spoonster to ask about Neal.

Three Midwestern schools are currently on Neal’s way-too-early list.

“Iowa, Mizzou and Wisconsin, if they are interested,” he said. “Mizzou decided to bring in a juco (junior college) guy in for two years, so that could work out after he graduates. And If I went to Mizzou, a lot of my family could come watch me play. I have a lot of family in southern Missouri, so they could come up for games.”

In the Kohl’s Class of 2016 rankings, every long-snapper in the top 30 committed to a college program.

Eight of the top 10 players committed to play for schools in power-five conferences, which included Texas A&M, Iowa, Ole Miss, Stanford, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Michigan.

Neal hopes to continue the trend in two years.

“I think I can dial in my accuracy a little more and get my speed up,” he said. “It’s time-consuming and a lot of repetitions, and you have to weightlift and work on your 40 time and things like that.”

He works out with former NFL kicker Neil Rackers in Webster Groves twice a week, and will attend camps in Mississippi and Wisconsin over the next two weeks.

“They’re getting more fun now that I’m getting better,” he said. 

Neal’s courtship will become a lot more clear after Sept. 1, when coaches will be able to contact him directly.

“After that they can send letters and call me and all of that,” he said. “So I’m ready to see who is interested.”

Although he can’t sign a National Letter of Intent until his senior year, Neal hopes September brings more clarity to the process.

As to what will factor into his college decision, he said it was simple.

“Whatever feels like home.”

Until then, he may need to invest in a P.O. box.