When we first met ‘American Idol‘ Season 10 winner Scotty McCreery just under a year ago, he sang Josh Turner‘s ‘Your Man’ a capella for the judges and was upstreamed to the next round. McCreery has not concealed the fact that he admires Turner and that he ultimately hopes to emulate Turner’s career. Even though Turner supports McCreery as he continues to evolve into a country superstar in his own right, he doesn’t return the admiration for McCreery’s on-the-go lifestyle right now.

Turner revealed to Country Weekly that whenever he sees McCreery, the teen is burning the candle at both ends and is somewhat sleep deprived. “When I see him, he’s just doing the best he can at just staying awake,” Turner admitted. “He’s pretty busy, and I don’t envy him one bit. He’s going from here and there and everywhere, doing the music thing, finishing school and playing baseball.” Considering that McCreery is still a youngin’, he’s likely operating off boundless reserves of youthful energy.

Turner revealed that he has even spoken to Mom and Dad McCreery, and even they’re dealing with the residual effects of having a superstar son. Turner said, “I got to talk to his parents a good bit, and they’re pretty tired and busy. They were taking a red eye out after the [American Country] awards show so he could be at school the next morning.”

Even though McCreery has been thrust into the promotion machine that comes with stardom, he has not changed nor has he gone “Hollywood,” from Turner’s perspective. “He’s kept a level head on his shoulders, and for his age and what he’s been through, I think he’s handled it really well, and I’m proud of him,” Turner said.

A year ago, Scotty McCreery was a wannabe country singer who sang a Josh Turner song to get people’s attention. Now he has earned the respect and attention of the very man he admires. Isn’t that the icing on the cake for Scotty McCreery’s 2011?

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