sandberg played on the varsity baseball team at manatee high school for four years, and participated in the 2012 perfect game usa, one of the most selective baseball recruiting organizations for high schoolers. sandberg was also a football star, and was a dual threat quarterback for his entire high school career. he committed to attend mississippi state university on a scholarship to play college football for the mississippi state bulldogs, but was expected to be a high draft pick in the 2013 mlb draft.