TAT: Razorbacks Land Collins

This article first appeared in the February 6, 2013 issue of The Arkansas Traveler.

*Note: This was written the day before National Signing Day, so some information may not be up-to-date.*

A five-star running back from South Plantation (Fla.) High chose Arkansas over Miami (FL) Monday night, landing head coach Bret Bielema a major recruit in his first recruiting class with the Razorbacks.

Alex Collins is a five-star recruit and the No. 1 running back in the country according to 247sports.com.

He is also a five-star recruit according to Scout.com, who has him as the No. 3 running back in the country. ESPN.com and Rivals.com have him as a four-star recruit and the No. 7 and No. 13 running back in the country, respectively.

He took official visits to Florida, Florida State, Wisconsin, Arkansas and Miami, before narrowing his decision to Arkansas and Miami. Last night he chose the Razorbacks live on Fox Sports South.

“To the fans that I’ve made happy, this is for them: wooooo pig sooie wooooo pig sooie wooooo pig sooie RAZORBACKS #GoHogs,” Collins tweeted after he announced his decision.

The 5-foot-11-inch, 200-pound running back earned first team All-County honors the previous two seasons. During his senior season, he gained 1,276 yards and 14 touchdowns on 154 carries.

Along with his official visits, Collins was also offered by Louisville, South Florida and UCF, for a total of eight offers.

“I apologize to every fan and coach that I disappointed or let down, but it had to be a decision I made for me because this is where I will be,” Collins tweeted.

Collins was one of the more unpredictable recruiting battles for the class of 2013. He was originally verbally committed to Miami, but decommitted in November.

Bielema and running backs coach Joel Thomas recruited Collins hard while at Wisconsin, and then continued recruiting him when they were hired at Arkansas.

Getting Collins to commit to the Razorbacks has proven to many college football analysts that Bielema can recruit in the Southeastern Conference.

“Although Bielema will have to earn his stripes in this conference before any respect is thrown his way, he recruits similar to an SEC head coach,” Randy Chambers wrote for BleacherReport.com.

Arkansas had been struggling in recruiting before Collins committed. Bielema’s 2013 recruiting class was ranked as low as No. 60 according to Scout.com just one week ago.

Collins’ commitment increased Arkansas’ national ranking in all four major services. Their highest ranking is on 247sports.com, where they have the No. 24 recruiting class for 2013.

Their ranking could continue to rise today, depending where four-star offensive linemen Denver Kirkland and Kenny Lacy sign, as well as four-star running back Altee Tenpenny.

Kirkland is undecided, while Lacy is committed to UCLA and Tenpenny is committed to Alabama. Despite their commitments, Lacy and Tenpenny are still considering Arkansas.

Collins is Arkansas’ 21st commitment for the class of 2013.