Kornacki: Collins Showing Why Michigan is Excited About His Possibilities
9/4/2018 11:00:00 AM | Football, Features
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Dominique Stephon Collins -- nicknamed "Nico" by his father "from day one" -- drew rave reviews from teammates and coaches during the University of Michigan's preseason football camp.
Then, on the first play of the second half Saturday night (Sept. 1), Collins showed the crowd at Notre Dame Stadium and millions more on TV why the Wolverines were excited about what the sophomore wide receiver has to offer.
Nico Collins sprinted down the left side of the field, beat Fighting Irish cornerback Julian Love, and left his feet at "top-end speed" to haul in a 52-yard pass from quarterback Shea Patterson, crashing to the turf but holding on to the ball.
"At halftime," said Collins, "we went in and made some adjustments. The post route was there, and they said, 'Just keep running it. Keep doing it and trusting it.' Before the play, I told Shea, 'Just throw it to me, and I'll go get it. I got you. I'm going to make the catch for you.'
"Shea finally had time to set his feet and air it out to me, and I dove and got it. ... The separation I had, it was just top-end speed and just go! Don't let him touch you. I had the mindset that I didn't want to let him get his hands on me to slow me down."
Keep in mind that Love is one of the best cover men in college football -- a pre-season All-American on the watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Award given the national defensive player of the year -- and had two long, pick-six interception returns last season.
That catch offered the first glimpse at what made Collins one of the top receiver recruits in the nation at Clay-Chalkville High in Pinson, Alabama. He made 106 catches for 1,998 yards and 25 touchdowns as a junior and senior.
Collins has "Chosen" tattooed near his right bicep and a corresponding "One" on the opposite bicep. Stars accompany the tribute to his basketball hero, LeBron James, who was given the title on a 2002 Sports Illustrated cover that featured him while still in high school. James now has "Chosen 1" inked onto his back.
Collins explained: "In high school, you know I always watched LeBron. He was 'The Chosen One' and in high school I always thought I was 'The Chosen One,' too. I like LeBron."
Why did "The Chosen One," who grew up in Birmingham, in the heart of Crimson Tide territory, choose Michigan?
"Growing up in Alabama, of course you've got Alabama, a big-time college," said Collins. "But growing up there, I had the opportunity to chase my dreams, and I always wanted to play football here. To have the opportunity to choose the college I wanted to attend was really a blessing, getting a full-ride scholarship."Â
It didn't hurt that his favorite team was actually the University of Oregon and that he didn't align himself with either Auburn or Alabama, as most players in that state do. He said the Crimson Tide came in third on his selection list.
He isn't afraid of competition, though. Collins, the No. 17 wideout prospect in the Class of 2017, was behind fellow Wolverine classmates Donovan Peoples-Jones (No. 1) and Tarik Black (No. 11) but ahead of Oliver Martin (No. 35) in that Rivals.com national ranking.
Black is out for the beginning of the season with a broken right foot that required surgery, but the other three combined for 12 catches and 133 yards at Notre Dame.
Collins recalled the advice of Black before facing the Irish secondary and Love: "The guy in front of you is trying to stop you from chasing your dreams. That's pretty much how I see it, and I got that from Tarik."
Collins got off to a slow start as a freshman, making only three catches for 27 yards, but he is more comfortable in the offense and his technique this season. He finished with three catches for a team-high 66 yards at Notre Dame and was asked about finally getting to shine.
"It feels great," he said. "I feel like I'm trying to make a big impact for my football team. We're all playing hard, and so I'm just trying to do well and have fun, and play football the way I know how to play football.
"I learned a lot from my freshman year, and it kind of brought a little juice to me in the spring. I was ready after one year."
Collins said he began playing "pee-wee football" when he was 5 for his father and then coach, who put him at quarterback. Then he became a running back before finding his calling as a receiver in ninth grade.
His parents, Don and Janyth, will attend Saturday afternoon's (Sept. 8) home opener against Western Michigan along with many family members.
Collins said he's found a quick rhythm with Patterson because he played with "scrambling," dual-threat quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome in high school. Pigrome is listed as a co-starting quarterback this year at Maryland after earning the starting job in 2017, only to go down with an injury in the opener.
Nico Collins (left) and Donovan Peoples-Jones
It's engrained in Collins to never give up on a route because the quarterback has a way of getting the ball off even under pressure.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said liked the "big play" Collins supplied against Notre Dame and noted, "He blocked well and consistently ran good routes the whole game."
Collins also wears the No. 4 his coach did as an All-America quarterback at Michigan in 1986.
"Four is a big number here," said Collins. "Everyone wears it for Coach Harbaugh. But now they're repping me. It's best to have his number."
Collins chuckled about that.
No. 4 is turning heads.
"He's been balling, man," Wolverine senior slot receiver Grant Perry said last week. "He's been catching everything. Real good deep threat, short threat -- really anything. In the red zone as well, he's been catching tough balls that are placed in the right position that are tough catches sometimes. He's doing a really good job of grasping the offense as well and not making nearly as many mistakes as last year in practice, which is positive to see."
Wolverine tight end Sean McKeon added, "He played really well, stepping up for Tarik, and I'm really happy about that. He's a physical guy who can go up and make contested catches. And he's a great route-runner with great hands."
Assistant head coach and passing game coordinator Pep Hamilton said of Collins, 6-foot-4 and 218 pounds: "He's a big guy that can sink his hips. For a big guy that has a long stride, long gait, he's a guy that has enough quick twitch to transition from routes, make the transition from deeper routes to shorter routes, and run comebacks and digs and do all of the things we want our receivers to be able to do."
Collins continues working on his "footwork, breaks and speed," stressing the need to focus on "every little thing" and develop all aspects of his game. He added that new receivers coach Jim McElwain, who led the University of Florida before joining Harbaugh's staff after last season, "is a great coach who still has that head coach mentality" and has taught him some "new things" on the field.
One big play does not a season make, but there's no doubt that it got the season off to a good start for Collins.
